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EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


A  TEXT  BOOK  FOR 
PIANO  TEACHERS  AND  PUPILS 


BY 

HOWARD  WELLS 


BOSTON 

OLIVER  DITSON  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  CHICAGO 

Chas.  H.  Ditson  &  Co.         Lyon  &  Healy 


Copyright,  MCMXIV 
By  Oliver  Ditson  Company 


International  Copyright  Secured 


Library 

MT 


Dedicated  to  My  Wife 


PREFACE 


The  writer  wishes  to  make  grateful  acknowledgment 
to  Prof.  Theodore  Leschetizky  for  many  of  the  ideas 
and  exercises  used  in  this  book.  He  makes  no  claim 
that  it  is  a  "Leschetizky  Method"  feeling  as  he  does 
that  the  so-called  "Leschetizky  Method,"  cannot  be 
embodied  in  any  book,  because  it  is  Leschetizky 
himself. 

This  volume  will  serve  its  purpose,  if  it  helps  the 
teacher  and  pupil  to  realize  that  in  musical  develop- 
ment, it  is  earnestness  of  purpose,  united  with  concen- 
trated, intelligent  listening,  which  makes  every  effort 
count. 

Without  the  trained  mind,  and  the  finely  cultivated 
musical  hearing,  the  fingers  can  become  merely  auto- 
mata, incapable  of  conveying  either  thought  or 
feeling. 

Howard  Wells 

Berlin,  Germany,  June,  1914. 


CONTENTS 

Chapter                                                                                 Page 
I    Introductory  i 

II    How  TO  Give  and  Take  a  Piano  Lesson        .        .      6 

III  The  First  Piano  Lesson 9 

IV  Hearing  Single  Tones;  2/4  Time;  Rocking  Wrist 

Exercise 14 

V    Hearing  3/4  and  4/4  Time;  Beginning  Memorizing; 

Finger  Action 17 

VI    Hearing   Melodies;  Eighth  Notes;  Quick  Finger 

Stroke;  Finger  Work  in  Close  Position         .     2;^ 

VII    Hearing  Melodies  with  Upbeat;    Rests;    Finger 

Work  in  Free  Position 29 

VIII    Hearing  Dotted  Notes;   Bass  Clef;   Finger  Work 

in  Free  Position  with  Increased  Speed  .     32 

IX    Hearing  6/8  Time;    Hearing  Tonic,  Dominant  and 

Sub-Dominant  Triads;  Wrist  Work         .         .     37 

X    Hearing  Triplets,  Sixteenths  and  Thirty-Seconds; 

Preparatory  Work  for  Scales         .         ,         .41 

XI  Hearing  Inversions  of  Tonic,  Dominant,  and  Sub- 
Dominant  Triads;  Exercises  for  Concentra- 
tion; The  Close  Touch 46 

XII    Hearing  Two  Voices;  Scales  .        .        .        .51 

XIII  Hearing  Tonic,  Dominant  and  Sub-Dominant  Triads 

in  Combination;  Arpeggios       .         .        .        -55 

XIV  Hearing  Complete  Cadences;  Octaves  .        .        .60 

XV    Hearing  Cadences    in    Compositions;  Polyphonic 

Work;  Velocity 64 

XVI    Hearing  Cadences  (Continued);   Chord  Playing  71 

XVII    Hearing   of    Phrasing,    Dynamics    and    Pedaling; 

Memorizing 82 

XVIII    Some  Useful  Hints 95 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


CHAPTER  I. 

Introductory 
{To  he  read  before  making  use  of  the  hook.) 

Why  is  it  that  out  of  the  immense  number  of  persons  who 
study  music,  so  few  accompUsh  anything  really  worth  while? 
Is  it  because  of  lack  of  ability  or  application?  Or  is  it  due  to  the 
fact  that  our  methods  of  training  lack  the  system  which  we  have 
in  other  branches  of  education?  Can  we  not  trace  the  difficulty 
to  the  almost  xinWeTssdlack  oi  SYSTEM  ATIC  training  of  the  ear, 
to  the  failure  to  develop  the  powers  of  concentration,  and  to  the  neglect 
to  establish  the  technical  work  upon  the  correct  basis?  The  best 
training  is  that  which  makes  the  pupil  capable  of  self-develop- 
ment. If  the  pupil  has  been  taught  to  listen  to  music  intelli- 
gently, he  has  within  himself  a  constant  source  of  instruction  and 
improvement,  which  enables  him  to  learn  from  listening  to  others, 
and  which  gives  him  the  ability  to  hear  himself.  This  ability  to 
hear  one's  self  cannot  be  attained  suddenly.  On  the  contrary,  it 
is  to  be  achieved  only  by  systematic  training. 

From  the  Very  First  Lesson,  this  should  be  the  main 
point  in  the  mind  of  both  teacher  and  pupil.  Even  those 
pupils  who  are  fortunate  enough  to  have  a  good  ear  naturally, 
require  special  training  in  order  to  know  how  to  use  their  sense 
of  hearing,  and  to  develop  the  concentration  of  mind  which  is 
necessary  to  make  it  valuable  to  them. 

Lack  of  progress  and  lack  of  interest  on  the  part  of  a  pupil  in 
his  musical  study,  is  often  due  to  a  neglect  of  this  important  part 
of  the  work.  The  pupil  cannot  be  expected  to  improve  rapidly 
when  he  is  incapable  of  hearing  what  he  is  doing,  or  what   he  is 

1 


2  EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 

trying  to  do.  Music  is  Sound  and  cannot  he  successfully  taught 
by  the  use  of  the  eyes  and  fingers  alone.  Good  teachers  are  realiz- 
ing this,  and  are  devoting  more  attention  to  ear  training,  but 
unfortunately  it  is  often  brought  in  too  late  to  be  of  practical 
benefit. 

The  training  of  the  ear  should  begin  with  the  learning  of  the  notes, 
and  be  continued  in  each  lesson  and  in  each  day's  practice.  Some 
teachers  try  to  cultivate  their  pupils'  musical  hearing  by  playing 
for  them  in  the  lesson,  but  the  lesson  time  is  too  limited,  and  the 
average  pupil  has  not  sufficient  keenness  of  hearing  to  get  any- 
thing definite  from  it.  When  the  teacher  does  play  for  his  pupils, 
he  should  be  absolutely  sure  that  they  know  exactly  what  he  is 
illustrating,  and  that  their  attention  is  riveted  on  it.  He  can 
test  their  attentiveness  by  playing  a  passage  in  several  ways, 
and  having  the  pupils  make  comparisons. 

Many  pupils  think  they  are  paying  sufficient  attention  to  the 
cultivation  of  their  hearing,  by  trying  to  hear  a  few  chords  when 
they  study  Harmony,  but  this  effort  comes  too  late  to  be  made 
the  integral  part  of  their  musical  equipment  which  it  should  have 
been. 

Some  pupils  achieve  a  fine  sense  of  hearing,  and  the  power  of 
concentration,  by  long  continued  study  and  practice,  and  by 
going  to  concerts,  but  it  takes  too  much  time  to  learn  to  listen  in 
this  way,  especially  if  the  pupils  live  where  concerts  are  not  fre- 
quent. Then,  too,  it  is  at  the  beginning  of  their  study  that  pupils 
need  the  use  of  their  hearing.  The  great  majority  of  pupils  how- 
ever, never  acquire  this  ability  to  listen,  but  either  remain  hope- 
lessly mediocre,  or  drop  out  of  musical  work. 

Why  is  it  that  this  condition  is  not  recognized?  Because  most 
persons  are  absolutely  satisfied  with  their  powers  as  listeners.  Yet, 
if  one  tests  the  hearing  of  even  advanced  students,  he  is  generally 
astonished  to  find  out  that  they  have  heard  almost  nothing  of 
value. 

One  reason  why  training  of  the  ear  is  so  imperative,  is  that 
the  interpretation  of  a  composition  cannot  stand  before  one  like 
a  picture  or  any  other  work  of  art  which  may  be  enjoyed  at 
leisure.     It  must  be  studied  while  it  is  passing  with  lightning 


c 


EARS.  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS  3 

rapidity.  Hence  the  minds  of  the  listeners  must  be  prepared  to 
grasp  the  impression  quickly. 

The  act  of  listening  to  music  is  in  itself  more  conducive  to 
mind  wandering  than  to  concentrated  attention,  as  music  so 
often  creates  a  mood  which  distracts  the  attention. 

//  ear  training  work  is  made  a  part  of  a  student's  routine,  it 
develops  concentration,  and  the  faculty  of  self  criticism,  as  well  as 
the  ability  to  gain  something  definite  from  the  hearing  of  good  music. 

Too  much  cannot  be  said  about  the  value  of  concentration, 
especially  in  musical  work.  Who  does  not  know  the  type  of  pupil 
who  sits  at  the  piano  four  or  five  hours  daily,  his  thoughts  taken 
up  with  various  things,  and  with  nothing  more  definite  in  his  mind 
than  the  general  aim  to  learn  to  play? 

In  the  technical  work,  it  is  of  great  importance  to  establish  the 
right  muscular  conditions  at  the  very  start,  when  the  pupil  is  at  an 
age  when  such  work  is  most  easily  done.  The  lack  of  self-con- 
sciousness in  a  3'oung  pupil  is  of  the  greatest  advantage  to  him. 
He  creates  no  difficulties  for  himself  by  his  mental  attitude,  and, 
as  his  hand  is  in  the  natural  state,  it  can  be  easily  formed  to  meet 
the  requirements  of  the  piano.  A  child  can  accomplish  in  a  few 
minutes  twice  as  much  as  an  older  pupil  would  in  the  same  length 
of  time.  (Reference  is  made  of  course  to  technical  work  within  a 
child's  grasp.)  Arpeggios,  octaves,  etc.,  must  be  left  until  his 
hand  has  grown  to  them. 

7n  a  child's  school  work,  he  is  not  permitted  to  mislearn  and 
wrongly  practise  the  first  principles  of  grammar  and  arithmetic  with 
the  idea  of  doing  them  correctly  later,  yet  this  is  too  often  done  in  the 
musical  training.  Why  shoidd  he  not  be  required  to  do  the  simple 
technical  work  of  piano  playing  accurately,  and,  in  this  way,  save 
time  for  himself  later  on? 

The  common  error  of  thinking  that  accuracy  in  music  is  fatal 
to  musical  expression  should  be  discouraged.  That  such  an  idea 
is  prevalent  at  all,  is  largely  due  to  the  over-accurate,  pedantic 
and  unmusical  playing  of  those  who  go  to  the  extreme  of  ''method." 
We  have  instances  of  performers  whose  plaj'ing  suffers  from  this. 
Such  players  are  not  musical  by  nature,  and  have  accomplished 
their   results   In'   the   hardest  work.      They  have  in  general, 


4  EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 

more  thought  for  the  technic  of  the  art  than  for  the  art  itself. 

When  a  student  is  under  systematic  training,  there  comes  a 
time  when  he  is  too  conscious  of  the  process  by  which  he  expresses 
himself,  and  is  disturbed  by  it.  This  is  only  a  stage  in  his  develop- 
ment through  which  he  must  pass.  Unfortunately,  many  persons 
who  have  arrived  at  this  stage  play  in  public,  and  increase  the 
false  impression  that  systematic  training  makes  the  playing 
mechanical. 

When  the  pianist  has  gotten  beyond  this  point,  however,  he  is 
on  solid  ground  where  he  is  able  to  think  for  himself,  and  develop 
to  the  extent  of  his  mental  and  musical  capacity. 

There  is  quite  as  much  to  be  said  against  the  other  extreme  of  allow- 
ing too  much  freedom,  which  establishes  habits  of  musical  and 
technical  slovenliness  and  which  leads  to  a  lack  of  artistic  balance. 

Playing  the  piano  is  not  a  natural  process.  No  one  can  claim 
that  the  hand  was  originally  built  for  that  purpose. 

Students  are  often  misled  by  the  statement  that  it  is  not  nec- 
essary for  them  to  go  through  a  thorough  course  of  technical 
training.  They  do  not  always  realize  that  their  own  relation- 
ship to  musical  work  is  on  an  entirely  different  plane  than  that 
of  the  mature  artist.  //  one  observes  the  careers  of  great  artists, 
it  will  be  seen  that  they  have  gone  at  some  time  through  a  definite 
schooling,  and  then  gotten  away  from  the  consciousness  of  it.  T  HE  Y 
even  often  forget  that  this  schooling  was  necessary  to  give  balance 
and  artistic  judgment  to  their  later  development. 

It  is  not  expected  that  the  technical  work  outlined  in  this  book 
should  be  given  to  the  exclusion  of  all  musical  work.  A  few 
simple  exercises  such  as  given  here,  are  necessary  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  principle  of  relaxation,  and  the  development  ol  the 
hand  pianistically .  They  should  be  given  until  the  principles  can 
be  successfully  applied  to  playing  compositions. 

When  these  elementary  principles  are  once  established,  the 
development  of  the  conditions  sought  for  is  a  question  of  Growth 
and  Time.  It  cannot  be  forced.  The  devotion  ot  one's  energies 
exclusively  to  technical  work  for  any  great  length  of  time  should 
not  be  necessary,  and  is  not  advised.  It  requires  patience  until 
the  right  conditions  are  established.     From  four  to  eight  lessons 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS  5 

should  suffice  to  bring  finger  action,  and  the  tone  placement. 
The  continuation  of  the  technical  practice  from  this  time  is 
simply  to  clinch  these  points  until  they  have  become  second 
nature. 

Note. — Teachers  will  find  that  the  amount  of  material  given  in  each  of  these 
chapters  is  much  more  than  can  be  taken  up  in  one  lesson.  But  it  is  found  simpler 
to  arrange  the  book  in  this  way.  Some  of  the  work,  particularly  the  ear  train- 
ing, can  be  done  in  classes  outside  of  the  regular  lessons. 

The  ear  training  exercises,  as  outlined  here,  are  just  as  useful  for  voice  and 
violin  students  as  for  pianists. 

In  some  respects  such  work  is  even  more  necessary  for  them,  as  the  produc- 
tion of  their  tone,  both  as  to  pitch  and  quality,  depends  directly  upon  their  ear. 


CHAPTER  II. 
How  TO  Give  and  Take  a  Piano  Lesson 

The  various  books  that  have  been  written  to  help  teachers 
and  pupils  deal  with  the  best  ways  of  giving  lessons,  and  offer 
useful  hints  regarding  practising,  but  none  give  any  advice  to  the 
pupil  as  to  the  way  he  should  take  a  lesson. 

One  requisite  at  a  lesson  is  undoubtedly  concentrated  attention. 

The  absent-minded,  dreamy  pupil  who  only  half  hears  what 
the  teacher  is  saying,  and  lets  the  hints  and  corrections  go  in  at 
one  ear,  and  out  at  the  other,  is  well-known  in  every  studio. 

If  the  teacher  questions  such  a  pupil  regarding  his  understand- 
ing of  some  explanation  that  he  has  been  making  to  him,  he  finds 
either  that  no  impression  has  been  made  on  the  pupil's  mind,  or 
that  the  idea  conveyed  was  so  vague  and  confused  that  it  is 
worthless. 

Mental  alertness,  and  the  desire  both  to  understand  and  retain 
an  explanation  must  be  as  strong  in  the  pupil,  as  the  determination 
on  the  part  of  the  teacher  to  make  his  explanations  adequate. 

The  pupil  should  be  certain  at  the  end  of  each  lesson  that  he 
has  a  definite  idea  of  the  weak  points  and  mistakes  that  were 
mentioned  to  him,  as  well  as  an  understanding  of  the  best  way 
to  correct  them. 

He  should  have  the  determination  to  arrange  his  daily  practice 
program  in  such  a  way  that  a  certain  amount  of  time  is  devoted 
every  day  to  the  correcting  of  these  mistakes,  and  the  building 
up  of  his  weak  points. 

In  this  way  the  teacher  will  not  be  obliged  to  make  the  same 
criticism  in  several  lessons. 

There  can  be  no  vagueness  in  the  understanding  or  plan  of  work 
if  there  is  to  be  anything  definite  in  the  results  achieved. 

The  pupil  who  shows  a  determination  to  concentrate  his  mind 
entirely  on  the  lesson  while  he  is  taking  it  is  in  the  minority. 

6 


EARS,   BRAIN  A\D  FINGERS  7 

The  introduction  of  outside  matters  for  discussion  and  conversa- 
tion is  by  no  means  unusual,  and  when  a  pupil  changes  teachers, 
it  is  generally  the  case  that  he  devotes  much  of  the  time  of  his 
first  lessons  with  the  new  teacher  to  narrating  how  his  former 
teacher  wanted  this  or  that  done. 

On  the  other  hand,  some  pupils  are  so  fearful  of  the  lesson  time 
being  wasted  that  they  look  upon  an  explanation  as  an  interrup- 
tion. Their  idea  of  a  lesson  is  to  keep  the  piano  "going"  all  the 
time.  The  natural  result  of  this  attitude  on  the  part  of  the 
pupil  is  that  the  teacher  feels  he  must  limit  himself  to  only  what 
actually  must  be  said,  and  what  he  has  to  offer  the  pupil  cannot 
be  given  freely   and  spontaneously. 

Of  equal  importance  with  the  concentrated  attention  at  the 
lesson,  is  the  teachable  spirit  of  the  pupil. 

A  teachable  spirit  is  not  easy  to  define.  It  might  be  said  to  be 
a  willingness  on  the  part  of  the  pupil  to  accept  what  the  teacher  has 
to  give  him. 

No  good  teacher  wishes  to  have  a  pupil  follow  him  blindly, 
without  using  his  own  intelligence.  No  broad-minded  teacher  de- 
sires to  impress  a  pupil  with  the  idea  that  his  is  the  only  method, 
but,  when  the  mentality  of  the  pupil  is  being  used  to  argue  with 
the  teacher,  then  much  of  the  lesson  time  must  be  devoted  to 
convincing  and  persuading  the  pupil,  instead  of  giving  him  the 
instruction  which  he  is  supposed  to  be  seeking. 

Such  pupils  are  generally  unconscious  of  this  spirit,  as  it  is  an 
inherent  characteristic,  but  naturally  there  can  be  no  co-operation 
between  the  teacher  and  pupil  in  such  a  case 

There  is  a  class  of  so  called  "advanced  pupils"  who  like  to  go 
from  teacher  to  teacher  "getting  ideas,"  as  they  express  it. 
They  almost  invariably  speak  of  their  studying  as  "coaching," 
and  generally  desire  to  plan  their  own  work. 

Lessons  in  such  instances  are  always  a  farce.  No  teacher  can 
do  anything  worth  while  for  a  pupil  of  this  type.  The  higher  the 
ideals  of  the  teacher,  the  more  difficult  does  he  find  it  to  sympathize 
with  the  view  point  of  such  a  pupil. 

In  direct  contrast,  is  the  pupil  who  is  over  zealous  in  his  desire 
to  follow  his  teacher,  and  so  distrustful  of  himself  that  he  will  not 


8  EARS.   BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 

venture  to  do  anything  without  the  minutest  directions.  This 
over  doing  of  docihty  hampers  both  pupil  and  teacher.  Such  a 
pupil  will  always  play  like  a  "careful  student,"  and,  no  matter 
what  his  age  may  be,  will  be  spoken  of  as  a  "young  pianist." 

Then  there  is  the  "discouraged  one"  who  must  always  be 
braced  up.  His  motto  is  "I  can  never  learn  to  do  that."  With  a 
pupil  of  this  temperament  the  teacher  has  to  spend  a  great  deal 
of  the  lesson  time  in  the  cheering  up  process.  This  pupil  is  a 
heavy  burden  even  for  the  most  hopeful  teacher  to  carry. 

Each  studio  has  a  "sensitive  plant,"  a  pupil  who  must  be 
criticized  very  carefully.  He  often  announces  "You  are  the 
teacher,  I  am  the  pupil,"  "You  need  not  be  afraid  to  tell  me  ex- 
actly what  you  think,  that  is  what  I  come  to  your  studio  for." 
But  alas  for  the  teacher  who  takes  him  at  his  word !  This  pupil 
is  the  very  one  who  is  not  willing  to  stand  anything  but  the  most 
guarded  criticism. 

The  "silent  pupil"  is  another  type.  His  attitude .  acts  as  a 
damper  on  a  teacher's  zeal.  When  the  teacher  seeks  for  some 
indication  of  being  understood  by  a  pupil  of  this  character,  he  is 
met  by  the  most  discouraging  unresponsiveness.  Just  as  a  pupil 
must  be  encouraged  in  order  to  keep  up  his  interest,  so  must  a  teacher 
meet  with  some  encouragement  in  order  to  be  able  to  put  forth  his  best 
efforts. 

The  artist  before  an  audience  is  not  more  sensitive  to  their  atti- 
tude toward  himself  than  the  teacher  with  his  pupils.  It  is  only 
when  he  feels  that  they  are  "with  him,"  understanding  and  sym- 
pathizing with  his  efforts  that  he  can  give  them  his  very  best  work. 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  First  Piano  Lesson 

The  first  step  is  to  learn  middle  C. 

While  the  teacher  is  sounding  the  note,  the  pupil  should  listen 
with  closed  eyes.  The  tone  should  be  sounded  several  times  to 
impress  it  on  his  mind.  He  should  also  sing  or  hum  the  tone. 
The  teacher  should  then  play  a  few  chords  to  ascertain  if  the 
tone  has  made  an  impression  on  his  mind  which  cannot  be  erased. 
Then  he  should  sound  different  tones  in  the  neighborhood  of  C, 
coming  back  occasionally  to  C,  which  the  pupil  should  call  by 
name  every  time  he  recognizes  it. 
/  The  pupil  can  practise  trying  to  learn  to  recognize  this  tone  at 
home  by  standing  with  his  back  to  the  piano  in  such  a  way  that 
he  does  not  know  just  what  part  of  the  keyboard  he  is  near,  then 
he  should  reach  back,  and  sound  tones  until  he  thinks  he  has  found 
C.  (If  the  pupil  has  some  one  at  home  to  sound  the  tones  for 
him,  it  is  better.) 

This  ear  training  practice  should  always  precede  the  other  work, 
for  thej-eason  that  ^t  is  easier  to  force  close  attention  when  the  mind 
isfresh.^  He  should  practise  trying  to  recognize  the  tone  at  least 
ten  minutes  daily.  It  will  do  wonders  for  his  powers  of  concentra- 
tion. This  development  of  his  concentration  will  be  worth  more 
to  him  than  the  ability  to  recognize  the  tone/ 

CThe  pupil  should  be  able  to  recognize  a  quarter,  half,  or  whole 
note  hij  sound.  The  teacher  sets  the  metronome  at  50,  tells  the 
pupil  that  a  tick  represents  the  length  of  a  quarter  note;  two 
ticks,  a  half  note;  and  four  ticks,  a  whole  note. 

After  the  pupil  has  listened  to  the  metronome  ticking  a  few 
measures,  the  metronome  should  be  stopped,  and  he  should  imi- 
tate the  ticks  by  tapping  a  pencil  on  the  table.     This  serves  to 

9 


10  EARS.  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 

fix  the  length  cf  the  quarter  note  in  his  mind.     Then  sound 
middle  C  for  him  as  follows : 

IJ    JJJJ    |J    J      hd||    JJJ      t    o    |JJJ  J     II 

He  should  be  able  to  tell  exactly  what  is  the  length  of  the 
notes  sounded,  especially  as  they  were  presented  to  him  in  the 
simplest  possible  way  (without  any  variation  of  pitch 
to  distract  his  attention). 

Then  show  him  how  to  write  the  notes,  and  how  to  indicate  the 
length  of  them.  In  this  way,  he  is  taught  to  recognize  the  real 
object,  that  is,  the  length  of  the  note,  before  he  is  shown  the 
picture  of  it  on  paper.  (Later  on,  when  the  sense  of  rhythm  has 
been  more  developed,  the  pitch  of  the  notes  may  be  varied  in 
the  rhythm  exercises  but  at  first  it  is  better  to  have  the  mind 
concentrated  on  the  one  tone.) 

A  pupil  who  has  been  taught  the  length  of  notes  in  this  way, 
will  find  "keeping  time"  much  easier.     (See  foot-note.) 

If  the  pupil  does  not  know  the  notes,  he  should  be  taught  them 
first  on  the  keyboard,  and  then  on  paper. 

Have  him  make  the  staff  himself,  then  start  him  out  to  trace 
the  location  of  the  notes  on  the  five  lines  and  four  spaces,  giving 
him  only  E  (on  the  first  line)  to  figure  from.  This  will  take  longer 
than  to  give  them  in  the  usual  way,  but  a  child  is  always  more  in- 
terested in  something  which  he  has  found  for  himself,  and  remembers 
it  better. 

If  he  can  figure  out  on  the  staff  the  location  of  middle  C,  (which 
he  has  commenced  to  learn  by  sound),  he  should  be  encouraged 
to  do  so.  Pupils  often  perceive  that  there  is  no  place  on  the 
staff  for  any  note  lower  than  D,  and  suggest  the  necessity  of  add- 
ing an  extra  line  for  it.  If  found  in  this  way,  the  name  of  the  note 
on  the  added  line  will  never  be  forgotten. 


Note. — ^It  is  impossible  to  map  out  the  exact  amount  of  work  in  ear  training 
which  can  be  given  in  one  lesson.  For  a  beginner,  the  amount  indicated  will  be 
quite  enough,  but  it  might  not  be  enough  for  the  more  advanced  pupil,  who  should 
go  on  with  the  work  given  in  subsequent  lessons. 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


n 


For  practice  in  reading  notes,  the  teacher  should  make  a  line  of 
notes  like  this: 


telling  him  it  is  a  Musical  Roll  Call  and  that  he  must  practise  it 
at  home  until  he  can  call  all  the  names  easily  and  quickly.  He 
should  have  a  line  for  each  day's  practice,  giving  only  these 
notes,  but  in  a  different  order. 

To  give  the  "roll  call"  he  should  go  through  it  in  the  following 
way,  —"First  line,  E"  -then  he  sounds  the  note  as  if  it  answered 
to  its  name.  "Second  space,  A,"  then  sounds  the  note,  etc.  His 
mentioning  the  location  of  the  note  on  the  staff  first,  makes  him 
observe  it  more  carefully. 

Technical  Work.     (The  Hand  Position) 

The  pupil  should  be  seated  far  enough  from  the  piano  to  give 
his  arms  freedom  of  motion.  The  height  of  the  seat  should  be 
determined  by  the  length  of  the  upper  arm.  The  elbow  should 
be  on  a  level  with  the  keyboard.  The  wrist,  a  little  below  the 
level.     See  Cut  I. 

The  details  regarding 
the  hand  position  should 
be  carefully  explained  un- 
til understood  by  the 
pupil. 

The  wrist  is  held  slight- 
ly lower  than  the  hand  in 
the  elementary  work,  the 
knuckles  slightly  raised, 
particularly  those  of  the 
weaker  fingers,  which 
should  be  up  as  nearly  in 
Cut  I.  a  line  with  the  others  as 

the  formation  of  the  hand  allows.  In  this  way  the  fourth  and 
fifth  fingers  have  an  equal  chance  of  action  from  the  knuckle  with 
the  stronger  fingers. 


12  EARS.  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 

Each  finger,  with  the  exception  of  the  thumb,  rests  on  its 
cushion.  This  is  the  position  taken  for  the  technical  develop- 
ment of  the  hand.  (The  strength  of  the  finger  tip  can  he  developed 
only  when  the  finger  is  held  curved.  Later  on  the  hand  position  is 
adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  passage  to  be  played.) 

The  arch  between  the  thumb  and  hand  is  insisted  upon  to  give 
the  thumb  room  enough  to  pass  under  the  hand  freely,  as  is 
necessary  in  scales  and  arpeggios. 

The  teacher  should  illustrate  this  careful  explanation  with  his 
own  hand,  and  the  pupil  should  show  whether  he  comprehends 
it  by  trying  to  put  his  hand  in  the  same  position.  It  is  better 
for  him  to  rest  his  arm  on  the  table  when  he  first  takes  the  position. 

Remarks  on  hand  position. 

The  knuckles  are  slightly  elevated  in  order  to  give  solidity  and 
firmness  to  the  hand,  and  to  enable  the  fingers  to  move  more 
freely  from  the  knuckles,  thus  preparing  the  way  for  the  finger 
action  which  comes  later. 

The  thumb  is  held  out  and  curved  to  give  it  more  freedom  of 
movement  on  the  outside  of  the  hand. 

The  fingers  are  curved  in  order  to  concentrate  the  finger  action 
at  the  knuckles,  to  develop  firmness  and  sensitiveness  in  the  finger 
tips,  and  surety  and  clearness  in  the  finger  work. 

This  hand  position  is  for  the  purpose  of  developing  the 
hand  for  the  piano,  and  should  not  be  understood  as  a  set 
position  to  be  used  in  playing. 

After  this  position  can  be  taken  easily  and  quickly,  the  arm 
should  be  taken  away  from  the  table,  and  the  position  taken 
with  the  fingers  resting  on  the  edge  of  the  table,  and  the  arm 
loose  and  relaxed  from  the  shoulder.  The  wrist  should  be  a 
little  below  the  level  of  the  hand,  as  this  will  ensure  better  finger 
action  from  the  knuckles. 

Swing  the  arm  at  the  side,  noticing  the  sensation  of  a  loose 
arm  so  that  the  condition  may  be  retained  when  the  hand  is 
placed  on  the  edge  of  the  table. 

The  assuming  of  any  new  position  has  a  tendency  to  cause 
stiffness.  Consequently  it  is  necessary  to  relax  the  arm  many 
times  and  to  take  the  hand  position  until  one  feels  at  home  in  it. 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS  13 

Relaxation  is  the  absence  of  effort,  and  this  position  must  become 
so  natural  that  there  is  no  effort  to  assume  and  retain  it.  Every 
teacher  tells  his  pupils  that  the  wrist  should  be  loose,  but  how  can  the 
pupil  be  expected  to  have  a  loose  wrist  when  he  has  no  idea  how  a 
loose  wrist  feels  when  the  hand  is  in  playing  position?  And  does  not 
know  how  to  get  one? 

Fie  ST  Technical  Exercise  for  the  Piano 

The  pupil  should  put  his  hand  in  position,  then  swing  his  arm 
at  his  side,  and  put  the  hand  up  in  position  again.  This  will 
take  away  any  cramped  feeling  of  the  hand  and  arm,  and  give 
the  relaxation  necessary  before  another  difficulty  is  presented. 
No  beauty  of  tone  or  freedom  of  execution  can  be  brought  about 
with  the  arm  and  wrist  stiff.  The  time  to  begin  relaxing  them  is 
when  the  hands  are  first  placed  in  playing  position.  That  is  the 
time  when  the  tension  begins. 

This  exercise  should  be  practised  until  the  hand  assumes  the 
position  without  effort.  An  older  pupil  can  go  on  immediately 
with  the  wrist  exercise  of  the  next  lesson. 

To  make  the  points  of  a  lesson  as  definite  as  possible,  a  synopsis 
like  the  following  should  be  in  the  mind  of  both  teacher  and  pupil: 

Object  of  the  Lesson 

I.     Learn  middle  C. 
II.     Learn  to  recognize  the  length  of  whole,  half,  and  quarter 
notes  by  sound,  and  also  to  write  them.     (This  must  be  practised 
either  with  the  teacher,  or  with  some  one  at  home.) 

III.  Learn  what  the  correct  position  of  the  hand  and  arm  is, 
and  be  able  to  explain  the  reasons  for  this  position. 

IV.    Learn  to  take  the  hand  position  easily  with  each  hand. 
V.     Learn  the  line  of  notes  written  out. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

If  middle  C  cannot  j'et  be  recognized,  work  on  it  as  before.  If 
there  is  difficulty  in  recognizing  middle  C,  impress  C  on  the  mind 
by  comparing  it  with  the  sound  of  B  and  D  on  either  side  of  it. 
Sometimes  several  lessons  have  to  be  given  to  this. 

If  C  can  be  recognized  several  times  in  succession,  learn  D  in 
the  same  way.  After  D  has  been  learned,  E  may  also  be  given 
(provided  C  and  D  can  be  quickly  recognized.)  Usually  it  takes 
several  lessons  to  do  this.  In  learning  D  and  E,  be  able  to  hear 
that  Z)  is  a  second  above  C,  and  ^  is  a  third  above. 

Voice  pupils  should  sing  the  tones,  and  violin  pupils  produce 
them  on  the  violin.  In  fact,  all  pupils  should  practise  singing 
them  if  possible. 

In  the  rhythmical  ear  training  work,  the  next  step  is  to  learn  to 
hear  2/4  time: 


lU  J  I J  J  I  i  J  I J  J 


(It  is  better  to  begin  with  this  than  with  4/4  because  the  sec- 
ondary accent  of  4/4  time  is  difficult  to  hear.)  The  pupil  hears 
eight  quarter  notes  sounded  on  the  piano,  with  strong  accents  on 
the  first,  third,  fifth  and  seventh.  He  is  told  that  these  accents 
divide  the  eight  quarter  notes  into  four  measures  of  two  quarter 
notes  each. 

If  the  pupil  is  a  beginner,  he  should  be  shown  on  music  paper 
how  the  measures  which  he  heard,  caused  by  the  accents,  are  indi- 
cated by  the  bar  lines,  and  that  the  2/4  placed  at  the  beginning, 
indicates  that  each  measure  contains  two  quarter  notes,  or  their 
equivalent.  He  is  then  asked  to  write  some  measures  made  up  of 
both  quarter  and  half  notes,  in  order  that  he  may  understand 
that  a  half  note  is  the  equivalent  of  two  quarters.     In  this  way 

14 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


15 


he  learns  to  hear  accents  and  the  pulse  of  rhythm  from  the  first. 
The  mere  COUNTING  the  time,  which  is  so  often  rehed  upon, 
is  of  no  value  unless  the  beat  is  heard  and  felt.  The  counting  is 
uneven  unless  this  is  done. 

In  the  Roll  Call  work,  the  tones  may  now  be  sounded  by  the 
pupil  without  his  naming  the  position  of  them.  Some  new  notes 
on  the  treble  clef  may  be  added. 

The  hand  position  exercise  with  the  swinging  arm  should  be 
reviewed. 

If  the  pupil  can  take  the  hand  position  easily,  and  keep  the 
arm  relaxed,  the  next  step  may  be  taken. 

Right  here  it  might  be  stated  that  half  the  difficulties  that  the 
beginner  is  heir  to,  come  from  the  adding  of  a  new  technical  require- 
ment before  the  previous  one  was  mastered. 

The  next  exercise  we  shall  call  the  "rocking  wrist.'* 
Have  the  hand  in  the  position  just  learned,  the  finger  tips 
resting  on  the  edge  of  the  table,  then  move  the  wrist  slowly 
downward  and  upward,  taking  care  to  keep  the  knuckles  from 
sinking  down  when  the  wrist  is  lowered,  and  that  the  hand  re- 
mains in  the  same  relative  position  as  before.     See  Cut  II. 

The  fourth  and  fifth 
knuckles  should  be  on  a 
level  with  others,  even  if 
the  fifth  finger  has  to  be 
held  straight  at  first. 
Alter  the  wrist  has  been 
lowered,  it  should  come 
back  to  its  original  posi- 
tion, no  higher.  There 
should  he  no  tension.  The 
hand  should  rest  lightly 
on  the  table,  (that  means 
Cut  II.  that  there  should  be  no 

digging  in  with  the  finger  tips.)  The  arm  should  hang  loosely 
from  the  shoulder.  In  order  to  keep  the  arm  relaxed,  swing  it 
frequently  at  the  side.  This  is  nothing  more  than  a  natural 
condition.     The  principle  involved  is  the  same  as  in  tennis  or 


Vo  EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 

golf,  for  example.  If  one  observes  a  good  player  of  either  of 
these  games,  he  notices  that  his  skill  depends  largely  on  the 
freedom  of  movement  of  the  arm  in  the  shoulder.  And  when 
one  plays  the  games  himself,  he  realizes  it  more  than  ever ! 

This  exercise  when  well  done,  separates  the  hand  from  the  arm 
(so  to  speak)  by  means  of  the  absolutely  light  wrist.  It  is  very 
important,  as  the  succeeding  exercises  depend  upon  it.  It  should 
be  practised  only  a  few  minutes  at  a  time,  and  should  be  done 
alternately  with  the  left  and  right  hands,  in  order  that  they  may 
not  become  tired  and  cramped. 

As  a  rule,  this  exercise  is  more  difficult  to  do  correctly,  than 
any  other,  because  it  has  two  conflicting  purposes.  One  is  to 
maintain  the  natural  relaxation  of  the  wrist  and  arm,  while  the 
other  is  to  have  the  hand  assume  the  unnatural  position  made 
necessary  by  the  piano.  Until  the  position  has  become  natural 
the  exercise  should  be  a  part  of  the  daily  practice. 

As  the  finger  tips  receive  the  greater  part  of  the  weight  of  the 
arm,  they  acquire  a  firm  feeling  which  might  be  described  as  a 
feeling  of  suction  where  they  come  in  contact  with  the  key?. 
This  point  of  firm  fingers  is  one  which  is  not  always  understood. 
The  fingers  should  not  be  HELD  FIRM,  nor  should  there  be  any 
tension  in  the  hand.  On  the  contrary,  the  hand  rests  on  the  keys, 
and  the  fingers  A  RE  firm.  This  firmness  of  the  fingers  cannot  be 
forced,  but  must  be  gradually  brought  about  by  the  muscular  de- 
velopment which  is  the  result  of  the  daily  technical  practice. 
This  point  is  so  important,  that  particular  stress  is  laid  upon  it 
at  the  very  beginning. 

Object  of  the  Lesson 

I.     Review  hearing  middle   C,  and  possibly   learn  one  or 
two  more  tones. 

II.     Learn  by  sound  and  by  sight  what  2/4  time  is. 
III.     Begin  to  practise  the  "rocking  wrist"  exercise  on  a  table, 
and  at  the  piano. 


CHAPTER  V. 

During  this  lesson  the  pupil  should  become  sure  of  recognizing 
middle  C.  In  case  he  has  also  been  able  to  learn  D  and  E,  he 
should  then  go  on  with  F  and  G,  also  learning  to  recognize  by 
sound  the  interval  of  a  4th  and  5th,  measuring  from  middle  C. 
Probably  there  will  not  be  time  in  this  lesson,  to  practise  hearing 
the  intervals  of  2nds  and  3rds  measuring  from  D  and  E,  but  this 
should  be  done  later.  For  the  present  these  intervals  are  to  be 
learned  by  playing  the  notes  one  after  the  other.  (It  is  impossible 
to  prescribe  the  amount  of  ear  training  that  can  be  given  in  one 
lesson,  as  this  depends  so  much  on  the  pupil.  After  these  tones 
have  been  learned,  the  pupil  can  generally  recognize  the  other 
tones,  including  sharps  and  flats,  without  much  effort.) 

In  the  rhythmical  ear  training  work,  the  difference  between 
2 '4  and  4/4  time  must  be  heard  by  the  careful  gradation  of 
accents : 

II  J  J  I J  J  II J  J  J  J  I J  J  J  J  II 

The  difference  must  be  well  marked  at  first  in  order  to  be 
heard.  This  exercise  adds  to  the  keenness  of  hearing  and  con- 
centration.    3/4  time  should  also  be  heard: 

lU  J  J  I  J  J  J  I  J   J  Fi   J  1 

If  the  pupil  is  a  beginner,  this  gives  him  the  ability  to  hear  these 
rhythms  before  they  appear  in  any  of  his  little  studies  and  pieces. 
These  rhythms  should  be  played  by  the  teacher,  and  written  out 
by  the  pupil  from  hearing  them.     He  must  give  the  correct  time 

17 


18  EARS,   BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 

signatures  and  note  values.     It  is  better  in  this  lesson  to  keep  the 
rhythmical  exercises  on  one  tone. 
Now  play 


If  the  pupil  is  a  beginner  and  has  not  heard  anything  about  a 
dotted  note,  the  idea  is  to  let  him  perceive  the  necessity  of  using 
the  dot  in  order  to  give  a  note  three  counts. 

The  pupil  hears  three  quarter  notes  and  then  one  note  which  is 
equivalent  to  the  three  quarters.  This  is  the  time  to  tell  him 
that  there  is  no  note  which  represents  three  quarter  counts.  We 
have  to  use  a  half  note  with  a  dot  after  it. 

If  the  pupil  is  a  child,  the  first  steps  in  memorizing  should  now 
begin. 

Musical  memory  is  made  up  partly  of  a  reliance  on  the  visual, 
the  musical,  the  aural,  and  the  intellectual  faculties.  The  last 
mentioned  are  the  ones  that  can  always  be  relied  on,  and  should 
be  cultivated  from  the  very  beginning. 

It  is  well  enough,  ordinarily,  to  rely  upon  the  fingers,  the  ear, 
or  the  impression  of  the  looks  of  the  printed  page  (as  many 
players  do),  but  none  of  these  means  can  always  be  depended 
upon  to  stand  the  test  of  nervousness  or  stage  fright.  Conse- 
quently, the  sooner  the  young  pupil  begins  to  cultivate  intellectual 
memorizing,  the  better  for  him.  When  started  at  this  early  stage, 
it  becomes  a  very  easy,  simple  matter. 

A  child  should  take  an  example  of  this  kind,  — 


He  should  look  at  the  first  two  measures,  then  close  the  book, 
and  see  if  he  is  able  to  tell  on  what  tone  the  melody  begins.  For 
instance,  -to  tell  in  the  first  example  (a)  that  it  begins  onE,  pro- 
gresses a  2nd  to  F,  then  a  2nd  to  G,  then  downward  a  3rd  to  E, 


EARS,   BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


19 


the  note  on  which  it  started.  He  should  write  this  out.  Then 
he  can  be  said  to  know  this  so  thoroughly  that  if  he  were  practis- 
ing it,  he  could  give  his  attention  more  completely  to  his  tone 
quality,  or  whatever  he  was  specially  working  for. 

Two  measures  would  be  enough  to  memorize  in  one  lesson,  but 
in  the  next  lesson  he  could  take  the  rest  of  it. 

After  a  child  has  memorized  a  simple  four-measure  phrase  in 
half  and  whole  notes,  he  should  be  given  a  more  complicated 
phrase,  but  one  which  contains  different  note  values.  For 
example: 


This  gives  him  the  task  of  remembering  these  changes,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  intervals.  This  is  not  to  be  done  by  ear,  but  is  to  be 
done  by  the  mind.  He  should  be  able  to  state  verbally  how  the 
melody  progresses,  specify  the  length  of  the  notes,  etc.,  and  be 
able  to  write  it  out.  This  also  improves  his  ability  to  read. 
Later  he  should  be  given  melodies  introducing  dotted  notes  and 
rests.  This  sort  of  memorizing  should  be  appUed  to  the  little 
pieces  which  he  studies,  and  is  sufficient  until  he  is  advanced 
enough  to  know  about  chords.     (See  Chapter  XV.) 

Technical  Work    (Finger  Action) 

The  "Rocking  Wrist"  exercise  should  be  continued  in  the  daily 
practice  for  some  time  to  come.  The  reason  for  this  is  not  simply 
to  gain  the  ability  to  do  it  correctly  and  easily,  but  to  acquire  the 
condition  which  this  exercise  develops. 

The  next  step  in  fundamental  technic  is  the  placing  of  the  tone. 
This  is  done  by  establishing  "pure  finger  action."  By  the  term 
*'pure  finger  action"  is  meant  the  movement  of  the  finger  at  the 
knuckle  joint  without  the  slightest  feeling  of  tension  in  the  hand, 
wrist  or  arm  during  the  lifting  and  dropping  of  the  finger. 

Every  one  who  plays  the  piano  is  supposed  to  use  his  fingers. 


20  EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 

but  there  are  comparatively  few  who  use  them  without  having 
some  tension  in  the  hand,  striking  with  arm  force  rather  than 
with  the  fingers. 

One  reason  why  so  many  pupils  come  to  a  standstill  techni- 
cally is  that  they  are  unconsciously  using  the  wrong  muscles. 
The  development  of  the  individuality  of  the  fingers  cannot  be 
done  unless  the  right  condition  has  been  established. 

(In  more  advanced  work,  the  arm  force  is  used  repeatedly,  and 
the  weight  of  the  arm  plays  an  important  role,  -even  in  finger 
work.  In  fact,  it  is  an  important  factor  in  modern  piano  playing. 
But  the  first  work  must  be  done  with  the  fingers  only.)  Tone 
quality  in  piano  playing  does  not  by  any  means  depend  entirely 
upon  the  instrument.  It  is  as  important  for  a  pianist  to  have 
his  tone  correctly  ''placed"  as  it  is  for  a  singer  to  have  his  voice 
"placed." 

The  process  of  making  the  tone  "free"  is  so  simple  that  it  is 
strange  that  there  is  not  more  attention  paid  to  it. 

There  are  singers  whose  tone  is  naturally  free,  who  are  spared 
much  of  the  drudgery  which  others  find  necessary.  There  are 
also  pianists  who  are  so  equipped  by  nature.  But  piano  playing 
is  so  much  less  a  natural  process  than  singing,  that  almost  always 
a  course  of  training  is  necessary  to  develop  a  good  tone,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  different  qualities  of  tone.  It  is  as  disappointing 
to  hear  a  pianist  without  a  good  tone,  as  it  is  to  hear  a  singer  with 
a  disagreeable  voice.  When  a  singer's  tone  is  once  "placed," 
his  voice  is  in  a  condition  to  develop  to  its  full  possibilities.  So 
it  is  with  a  pianist.  '  If  the  correct  technical  conditions  are  once 
established,  his  powers  of  development  are  limited  only  by  his 
mental  and  musical  capacity. : 

As  with  a  voice,  to  gain  a  tone  of  the  best  quality  there  must 
be  a  relaxation  in  the  right  place,  and  tension  in  the  right  place. 
The  tone  must  have  both  freedom  and  firmness. 

A  word  of  caution  is  necessary  here.  It  will  be  found  better  to 
establish  the  condition  of  relaxation  thoroughly  before  laying  much 
stress  upon  the  thought  of  firmness. 

The  principle  of  finger  action  cannot  be  as  clearly  explained  in 
a  book,  as  in  personal  instruction,  especially  as  the  means  of  get- 


EARS.  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS  21 

ting  at  it  vary  in  the  small  details  as  often  as  pupils'  hands 
vary  in  shape  and  condition.  In  general,  however,  proceed  as 
follows.  — 

Allow  the  arm  to  rest  on  the  table  as  at  first  when  taking  the 
hand  position.  Then  place  the  hand  in  the  position  given  in  Cut  I. 
Lift  the  finger  slowly  with  as  light  a  feeling  as  possible.  The 
finger  must  retain  its  curved  position,  moving  only  in  the 
knuckles,  as  if  it  had  no  other  joints. 

After  this  exercise  has  been  practised  on  the  table  several  times 
take  the  same  position  at  the  keyboard  which  was  used  in  the 
"Rocking  Wrist"  exercise.  At  first  drop  the  finger  on  to  the 
surface  of  the  key,  without  depressing  the  key.  After  a  few  taps 
like  this  on  the  key,  allow  it  to  depress  the  key  very  lightly  with- 
out any  aid  from  the  hand  or  arm,  even  if  no  tone  comes  at  first. 

When  the  finger  depresses  the  key  there  should  be  no  pushing 
up  of  the  knuckles.  They  remain  high  and  quiet.  The  thumb 
plays  from  its  side,  and  should  be  held  well  out  from  the  hand. 
The  thumb  motion  comes  from  the  wrist  joint  only.  It  seems  at 
first  as  if  one  could  not  make  any  tone  in  this  way,  and  one  should 
try  to  make  only  a  very  light  tone,  or  none  at  all  at  first.  The 
fingers  are  not  enough  under  control  to  do  more  than  this. 
Only  this  light,  slow  finger  work  should  be  done  for  a  time. 
Any  attempt  to  move  the  fingers  rapidly,  or  to  make  a  large 
tone,  causes  tension  in  the  wrong  place. 

If  the  holding  down  of  the  fifth  or  even  the  fourth  fingers 
causes  stiffness  in  the  hand,  release  them  from  the  keys. 

In  plajdng  with  the  fifth  finger,  there  is  a  stronger  tendency  to 
pull  from  the  hand  than  with  the  other  fingers,  on  account  of  its 
weakness.  Consequently  one  should  take  especial  pains  not  to 
force  the  tone  with  this  finger. 

Test  the  condition  of  the  wrist  and  arm  often  in  order  to  keep 
them  loose.  Let  the  arm  swing  at  the  side  many  times,  and 
practise  the  exercise  alternately  with  the  left  and  right  hands. 
For  instance,  take  the  second  finger  of  the  left,  then  the  second 
of  the  right,  etc.  The  most  important  points  are  to  keep  the 
light  feeling  at  the  knuckles,  to  have  the  hand  quiet,  and  A^OT  to 
work  for  a  big  tone. 


22  EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 

As  a  voice  teacher  at  first  has  a  pupil  sing  very  lightly  or  even 
hum,  in  order  that  he  may  gain  the  sensation  of  freedom  in  the 
tone,  so  the  piano  teacher  should  give  the  right  conditions  by  in- 
sisting on  light  tones  at  first,  at  the  piano.  It  should  be  under- 
stood however,  that  this  extreme  of  lightness  is  only  the  first 
step. 

Object  of  the  Lesson 

I.     Become  sure  of  recognizing  middle  C  by  sound. 
11.     Learn  D  and  E  and  possibly  F  andG,  and  intervals  of  4th 
and  5th  from  C. 

in.  Learn  to  recognize  3/4  time,  and  the  difference  between 
2/4  and  4/4  time. 

IV.     Begin  memorizing. 
V.     Begin  "pure  finger  action." 


CHAPTER  VI. 


As  the  pupil  has  by  this  time  learned  several  tones  by  ear,  and 
also  different  rhythms  on  one  tone,  he  is  now  ready  to  take  up  a 
combination  of  different  tones  and  rhythms. 

A  child  should  be  given  a  very  simple  melody.     For  example : 


TtTJ — ; 1 r • — ! 1 ^i-df-n : r-i — i r 

TO''      I      , 

J      !    «     1 

J         1 

-4r^ 

•    1      .    . 

i   J         !        11 

0 

^      J- 

^    •  • 

^      ^ 

-/-p r-^ h-. , Hit   i.      1      '      1      -     ! . ^ 

fn<'  1 

j-^ — ^— 

J     J 

-iw-^ 

■  s  *  1 — - 

.        ^      '      . 

t)       -d    * 

^      O            '     jf 

•   -^ 

«j 

•              * 

■d-  *  ^ 

He  should  be  able  t  >  name  the  intervals  as  he  hears  them  (the 
3rd  from  C  to  E,  the  2nd  from  E  to  Z),  etc.) 

After  he  has  named  the  intervals,  the  melody  should  be  played 
for  him  again,  and  he  should  play  it  himself  by  ear.  The  next 
step  is  for  him  to  write  it. 

An  older  pupil  who  has  already  done  considerable  playing,  has 
had  more  routine  in  hearing,  and  should  be  able  to  hear  a  more 
complicated  melody.     For  example: 


The  pupil  may  find  that  he  is  unable  to  retain  the  impression 
of  so  large  a  number  of  notes.  In  such  a  case  it  is  advisable  to 
cultivate  the  faculty  of  retentiveness  by  systematically  grading  the 
length  of  the  melodies  given.  For  example,  let  us  assume  that  the 
pupil  could  retain  the  first  four  tones  of  this  melody,  and  was 

23 


24 


EARS.  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


unable  to  proceed  further.     He  should  work  to  be  able  to  re- 
member a  melody  of  five  tones.    For  example: 


Then  of  six  ton^s: 


Then  of  seven  tones: 


Then  of  eight  tones: 


Then  of  nine  tones: 


^itjjjirrJ-|jji^|4frrirr^i^P^ 


This  is  an  aid  to  memorizing  as  well  as  increasing  the  powers 
of  listening. 

For  the  rhythmical  ear  training  work,  he  should  be  required  to 

hear  eighth  notes.     First  play    8  J    J   J   J        with  the  metro- 
nome at  50,  then    ii  J^  J^  J^  J^  u 

The  pupil  should  be  able  to  tap  these  eighths  with  a  pencil, 
without  the  metronome,  but  in  the  same  tempo,  and  with  the 
same  evenness.  He  should  also  play  them  on  the  piano  on  one 
tone,  noticing  that  there  are  two  absolutely  even  eighths  to  one 
beat.     (Voice  pupils  may  sing  la,  la,  la,  la,  etc.  on  one  tone.) 


EARS,   BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


25 


Then  he  should  hear  combinations  of  notes  of  different  value, 
as  follows: 

lU  ^  I J  J  If  P  J  I  P  J  I 
IjjJ^jJ  |J  J  ijJJJ^iJJJ  I 

liinj  |/ij  J  II 


It  is  far  better  for  his  sense  of  rhythm  for  him  to  be  required 
to  play  eighths  without  resorting  to  the  old  fashioned  device  of 
counting  one  and,  two  and,  etc.  The  idea  should  be  to  think  of 
the  quarter  note  as  a  unit  divided  into  two  even  parts. 

Melodies  introducing  eighth  notes  may  also  be  given.  For 
example: 


fijjIJJJUJJIJI 


i 


(Here  the  pupil  learns  to  distinguish  between  the  accents  of  4/4, 
2/4  and  3/4  time) 


ft': .  1 

q=] 

rfl 

=T1- 

1    1  II  j  a 

1    rr 

t-l- 

— < — 1 — 

f.  Mozart 
tfl        \       i 

=ddb=i 

Mil    II 

(9  4  J     '^ 

-*-< 

>■ 

^ 

rJ 

^7  4  'I  J 

J^   yj! 

^ 

y^i^ 

It  is  of  especial  value  with  a  child,  to  select  a  melody  from  the 
piece  or  study  which  he  is  to  take  up  later.     The  rhythm  of  it 


26 


EARS,   BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


may  be  impressed  on  his  mind  by  transferring  it  to  a  single  tone. 
For  example: 


>  =»  >««rj>  ^  =»  > 


^'irrrr\7  ilr-^  I  J  lll,^^  JJJJIJ  J IJJ II 


Have  him  study  out  the  rhythm  by  ear,  then  play  the  melody 
for  him,  and  have  him  write  it  out  from  hearing  it.  By  doing 
this  you  have  prepared  him  to  hear  the  piece  before  he  begins 
to  play  it.  The  ear  training  work  should  be  planned  to  anticipate 
the  playing  work  in  this  way. 

More  complicated  phrases  for  memorizing  than  those  given  in 
Chapter  V  should  now  be  given.     For  example: 


Technical  Work     (Quick  Finger  Stroke) 

The  single  finger  work  should  be  continued  with  the  light  tone, 
even  occasionally  simply  tapping  the  top  of  the  keys  as  a  test  of 
the  condition  of  the  hand. 

Up  to  this  time  the  finger  stroke  has  been  taken  slowly,  to  en- 
sure the  lightness  at  the  knuckles.  The  stroke  may  now  be 
taken  more  quickly,  though  the  tempo  of  the  exercise  is  not  to  be 
increased.  It  should  be  understood  that  when  the  idea  of  in- 
creasing the  rapidity  of  the  finger  comes  in,  an  effort  of  will  is 
necessary  in  order  to  give  the  quick  stroke.  Care  should  be 
taken  that  as  the  stroke  increases  in  speed,  the  relaxation  of  the 
hand  is  retained. 


EARS,   BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


27 


As  the  finger  falls  on  the  key,  the  weight  of  the  arm  rests  on 
the  finger  tip  because  the  arm  is  in  a  relaxed  condition. 

The  increased  speed  of  the  finger  stroke  gives  a  more  ringing 
tone.  The  pupil  must  listen  carefully  to  the  tone,  but  not  try  to 
make  it  large.  If  the  tone  is  correctly  made,  it  wall  soon  gain 
more  dynamic  power  without  any  effort. 

It  is  important  that  the  quick  finger  stroke  be  done  rhythmi- 
cally, say  in  this  way,  —Count  4  for  each  tone,  the  finger  going 
down  quickly  on  count  1,  resting  on  the  key  for  count  2,  then 
going  up  quickly  on  count  3,  but  there  must  be  absolutely  no 
tension  or  jerking  of  the  hand. 

The  following  exercise  should  now  be  given: 


JSTTT  ■'  a"! — 1 — i — 1 

rih^ 

3 

— 1 

t-tH 

3       4 

h — M — r- 

4       5 

•H-    1    I HI 

L.H.  U  ^ 

^  J.J      1    J 

4 
4 

4^ 

3 

— 1 

[•  J  J  J  * 

3       2 
3      2 

N — t — i — 1 — i 

•n-  J  J  -  J  11 

2       1 
2       1 

y^(j^   J   ^   a 

2 

3 

=iH 

■•   J  J  J  J 

1  •"•  J  J  J  i  -" 

The  purpose  of  the  exercise  is  to  educate  the  fingers  to  work  in 
combination  with  each  other  and  to  increase  their  independence. 

In  practising  it,  take  the  hand  position,  resting  the  finger  tips 
on  the  depressed  keys,  knuckles  arched,  fingers  curved.  See 
Cut.  I. 

It  will  be  found  of  advantage  at  first  to  do  this  exercise  "over- 
lapping," in  order  to  center  the  attention  on  one  point  at  a  time, 
to  retain  the  quiet  and  relaxed  hand,  and  the  light  dropping  of 
the  finger.  Count  4  to  each  quarter  note.  The  finger  drops  at 
count  1,  and  the  next  finger  is  raised  on  count  3,  causing  the  so- 
called  overlapping  of  the  tones.  The  "Rocking  Wrist"  should 
be  done  bet\veen  times,  to  test  the  condition.  Remember  that 
when  one  finger  is  poised  in  the  air,  the  weight  of  the  arm  is  rest- 
ing on  the  other  4  fingers.  As  the  finger  falls  on  to  the  key,  it 
joins  the  others  in  receiving  the  weight  of  the  arm.  Listen  to 
the  tones  that  they  may  become  even  in  quality. 

Note. — There  is  no  danger  that  this  "overlapping  practice"  will  interfere  with 
clean  playing,  as  this  is  counteracted  by  other  work,  and  is  kept  up  for  only  a 
short  time. 


28 


EARS.  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


In  addition  to  the  above  exercise  for  two  fingers,  the  following 
exercises  for  three,  four,  and  five  fingers  should  be  used : 
(They  are  played  in  the  same  manner  as  the  two-finger  exercise) 


5 

I 
o 

2 
t 

rf.(<  r — f-'  r  =ll'  "f — ^'  -ll-  **° 

r  1  T    : 

«J        It       'a 

3 

2 

2 

3 

3 

3 

•» 

5 

t 

>|         2,      3       2, 


By  the  time  the  pupil  gets  to  the  five  finger  exercise  in  this 
position,  there  should  be  a  feeling  of  heaviness  in  the  very  tip  of 
the  fingers,  while  the  hand  is  resting  on  the  keyboard,  and  a 
feeling  of  lightness  in  the  arm  and  wrist.  This  feeling  will  not 
be  present  if  there  is  tension. 

The  finger  work  should  be  a  part  of  the  daily  technical  practice 
for  some  time  to  come.  The  development  of  the  strength  and 
independence  of  the  fingers  depends  mainly  on  this  practice. 

This  is  important  not  only  for  the  "technic"  but  for  the  de- 
velopment of  "tone."  The  stronger  and  firmer  the  fingers  grow, 
and  the  more  control  the  player  gains  over  the  relaxation  of  the 
wrist  and  arm,  the  more  free  and  "floating"  does  his  tone  become. 

Object  of  the  Lesson 

I.     Learn  to  play  a  simple  melody  by  ear,  first  naming  the 
intervals. 

II.     Learn  to  recognize  eighth  notes  by  sound. 

III.  Learn  to  hear  a  melody  which  introduces  eighth  notes. 

IV.  Do  the  quick  finger  stroke. 

V.     Do  the  finger  exercises  overlapping. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

The  hearing  of  the  tones  of  one  octave  of  the  C  major  scale 
should  be  a  part  of  each  lesson  until  they  are  all  easily  recog- 
nized by  sound.  The  simple  melodies  must  necessarily  be  con- 
tinued. Up  to  this  point  the  melodies  have  begun  on  the  down 
beat.  The  up-beat  must  now  be  introduced,  first  in  the  rhyth- 
mical work  on  one  tone.      Metronome  at  50. 

If  J  |J  J  |JJ  \i  IJJ  liJJJ  |J  J  I 

After  this,  melodies  introducing  the  up-beat  shouid  be  given: 


The  hearing  of  rests  should  be  brought  about  in  this  manner: 


^  Beethover 

^  Chopin 

r*i  1 

W^ 

— 

in 

^ 

h>  K^ 

-±^ 

j  J  v;' 

r  ^T  J 

wLa_^j 

-J 

^-« 

■ 

-J 

0 

L-J—L — 1 

upj 

L-E—J €-i 

L\ :L-£-J1 

29 


30 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


Play  the  above  melody  two  or  three  times  for  the  pupil;  he 
must  then  play  it.  Probably  he  will  leave  the  rest  out.  The 
teacher  then  plays  just  what  the  pupil  played,  and  then  what  he 
himself  played,  until  the  pupil  notices  that  there  is  a  space  be- 
tween some  of  the  notes.  The  teacher  should  show  him  how  to 
indicate  the  length  of  this  space.  He  should  be  asked  to  hear 
and  write  quarter  rests  first,  then  later,  the  half,  whole,  and 
eighth  rests. 

Technical  Work    (The  Free  Position) 

The  finger  exercises  of  the  preceding  lesson  were  really  a  prepar- 
ation for  the  same  exercises  to  be  done  in  the  following  ''free 
position,"  that  is  with  the  hand  and  arm  poised  on  one  finger 
only,  while  the  others  are  held  in  the  air.  This  is  the  position 
commonly  used  in  playing. 

Place  the  thumb  and  second  finger  so  that  they  make  a  circle, 
while  the  others  are  held  in  the  air  without  stiffening  the  hand. 
(The  fourth  and  fifth  fingers  have  a  tendency  to  stiffen.  The 
holding  of  the  fifth  in  too  curved  a  position  is  likely  to  cramp  the 
hand.)     See  Cut  III. 

After  noticing  that  the 
position  is  all  right,  re- 
lease the  thumb,  resting 
on  the  second  finger  only. 
Be  sure  that  the  thumb 
and  fifth  finger  are  ab- 
solutely free.  The  re- 
laxation of  these  two  fin- 
gers is  a  very  important 
point,  in  that  it  deter- 
mines the  condition  of 
the  entire  hand,  and  also 
Cut  III.  has  its  effect  on  tlie  wrist. 

Still  resting  on  the  second  finger,  play  the  thumb  many  times, 
lifting  it  only  a  little  above  the  key  (a  high  motion  of  the  thumb 
makes  the  hand  unsteady).  Next,  rest  on  the  thumb,  play  the 
second  finger,  allowing  it  to  drop  from  a  position  a  little  above 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS  31 

the  kej\  Do  not  push  into  the  key  with  arm  force,  but  drop  the 
finger  on  to  the  key  with  the  finger  stroke  only.  Continue  with 
the  remaining  fingers  in  the  same  manner:  Hold  second  (re- 
leasing the  thumb),  play  third  several  times.  Hold  third 
(releasing  second),  play  fourth.  Hold  fourth  (releasing  third), 
play  fifth.  Hold  fifth  (releasing  fourth),  play  fourth.  Hold 
fourth  (releasing  fifth),  play  third.  Hold  third  (releasing 
fourth),  play  second.  Hold  second  (releasing  third),  play 
thumb.  The  non-playing  fingers  are  held  loosely  in  position 
above  the  keys. 

It  will  be  found  indispensable  to  practise  the  two,  three,  four 
and  five  finger  exercises  in  the  free  position  also  with  the  "over- 
lapping" fingers,  as  in  the  previous  chapter.  The  quiet  hand 
and  the  finger  action  are  then  ensured,  and  most  of  all,  the  over- 
lapping of  the  fingers  in  this  position  gives  the  idea  of  resting  the 
arm  on  the  finger  tips,  better  than  anything  else. 

The  principle  involved  in  overlapping  the  tones  in  this  "free 
position,"  may  be  compared  to  a  person's  standing  squarely  on 
both  feet,  and  then  raising  first  one  foot  then  the  other.  He 
does  not  press  down  into  the  floor,  the  w^eight  of  the  body  rests 
on  one  foot,  as  it  is  transferred  from  the  other  one.  So  in  these 
exercises,  the  weight  of  the  arm  should  rest  on  each  finger  tip  as 
it  is  left  alone  to  bear  the  weight  after  the  quick  down  stroke  of 
the  finger. 

The  form  of  the  exercise  is  like  that  of  the  close  position. 
Listen  for  the  quality  of  tone  and  evenness  of  the  fingers. 

Object  of  the  Lesson 

I.     Review  the  hearing  of  single  tones  until  each  note  of  the 
scale  is  learned. 

n.     Continue  the  hearing  of  simple  melodies. 
in.     Learn  to  hear  the  up-beat  in  single  tones  and  melodies. 
IV.     Learn  to  recognize  rests  by  sound. 
V.     Do  the  finger  work  in  the  free  position. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


The  ability  to  hear  dotted  notes  is  taught  in  explaining  the 
significance  of  a  tie.     Play  on  one  tone  the  following  rhythm: 

II J  J  J  I J  J  1 

After  this  has  been  heard  and  played  by  the  pupil,  play  as 
follows: 

iilJ^j|J  J  i}J-  J|J  J  1 

Explain  the  tied  quarter  note  being  represented  by  the  dot 
after  it. 

In  like  manner: 

lijrjjj  itJ_/ijj  ijj.  .sj  J,    • 

IjJ  J  73J  liJ  i_73J  ||J  J-  ^J  I 

It  is  necessary  for  these  to  be  played  very  precisely  as  regards 
the  length  of  the  tones,  in  order  that  the  difference  between 
them  and 

||JiJ|JJ||       or      IJ-I'-^JJl       or       lJJ-^^-^Jl 

may  be  distinguished  by  ear. 

The  addition  of  the  dotted  notes  gives  possibilities  for  more 
variety  in  the  melodies  to  be  heard.     For  example: 


|,>.j.jJJ|JJj  iJ.J'jjijjiy-irrrir^g 


Schumann 


Beethoven 


Schumann 


tiii^  /,  a    Schumann  :».  A  a    bchumann 


32 


EARS,   BRAIN   AND  FINGERS 

Chopin 


33 


The  hearing  of  the  notes  on  the  bass  clef,  and  of  tones  made 
sharp  or  flat  will  not  present  any  particular  difficulty,  if  the  ear 
work  has  been  well  done  up  to  this  time.  To  those  who  find 
difficulty  however,  it  will  be  an  advantage  to  start  from  middle 
C  as  a  central  point,  and  work  downward.  The  comparison  of 
C  with  B  and  with  A,  wiU  make  these  tones  easily  heard. 

In  addition  to  this,  the  notes  of  the  bass  clef  may  be  heard  by 
learning  them  from  the  octave  above.  For  example,  play  G 
above  middle  C,  the  G  an  octave  below  it  in  the  bass  clef,  and  so 
on  until  the  notes  in  the  bass  clef  have  all  become  fixed. 

If  the  pupil  is  a  child,  he  should  find  the  position  of  the  bass 
notes  on  the  staff  for  himself,  figuring  them  out  downward  from 
middle  C  by  the  order  of  the  alphabet,  and  writing  them  in  the 
same  manner  that  he  did  with  the  treble  clef. 


t)  *  *  *  ^ 


C     B  A  G  F  E 

He  can  also  learn  to  remember  the  added  lines  below  the 
treble  clef  bj^  making  the  two  clefs  himself  on  paper  with  just 


space  for  the  line  of  middle  C  between  them : 


Then  he  should  write  A  on  the  top  line  of  the  Lass  clef  and 
erase  the  lines  of  this  clef  with  the  exception  of  the  line  on  which 


A  is  found,  leaving 


i 


f 


In  like  manner  the  lines  above  the  bass  clef  may  be  learned. 


34 


EARS,   BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


The  pupil  should  write  the  two  clefs  close  together  as  before 
then  should  write  E  on  the  lowest  line  of  the  treble,  then  erase 
the  lines  of  this  clef  with  the  exception  of  the  line  on  which  E  is 


found,  leaving 


The  idea  is  to  give  him  the  realization  that  the  only  line  be- 
tween the  two  clefs  is  for  middle  C.  Any  other  line  added  to  t>he 
bass  clef  above  middle  C  is  taken  from  the  treble  clef.  Any  line 
added  to  the  treble  clef  below  middle  C  is  taken  from  the  bass 
clef.  The  young  pupil  is  usually  unconscious  of  this  because  the 
two  clefs  are  not  printed  closely  together. 

The  bass  clef  was  not  given  at  the  time  the  treble  clef  was 
learned,  for  two  reasons:  —the  material  written  for  a  child's  first 
playing  is  entirely  for  the  treble,  and  there  is  quite  enough  for 
him  to  learn  at  first  without  adding  anything  until  the  time 
comes  for  him  to  make  use  of  it. 

For  a  more  advanced  pupil,  the  bass  clef  may  now  be  used  for 
writing  melodies  by  ear.     For  instance: 


t)uJrrn^ -I  r>-^i^r  rif  rtrrpi^ 


Technical  Work  (Increased  Speed) 
After  mastering  the  free  finger  work  outlined  in  the  previous 
lessons,  the  same  exercises  should  be  done  without  the  overlap- 
ping idea.  There  should  be  a  quick  uplift  of  the  finger,  at  the 
same  time  that  the  next  finger  drops  to  make  the  tone,  but  the 
hand  should  be  kept  as  quiet  as  possible.  This  quick  uplift  of 
the  fingers  gives  clearness  to  the  playing. 

This  finger  action  may  now  be  applied  to  etudes  and  pieces. 
Select  an  etude  that  is  simple,  and  without  scale  and  arpeggio 
passages.  The  following  list  gives  a  few  compositions  which  are 
well  adapted  to  the  first  application  of  finger  action: 

Gurlitt,  The  Fair;    Kullak,  Nightingale;   Heller,  Prelude,  Op^ 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS  35 

81,  No.  3;  Daquin,  Le  Coucou;  Kuhlau,  Sonatina;  Scarlatti- 
Tausig,  Pastorale.  In  advanced  form,  Chopin's  Etude  Op.  25, 
No.  2. 

The  first  work  on  these  must  necessarily  be  made  more  techni- 
cal than  musical,  as  the  thought  must  be  concentrated  on  the 
appUcation  of  the  principles  that  have  been  illustrated  by  the 
exercises. 

If  the  single  finger  work  has  been  practised  carefully  every  day, 
the  finger  independence  should  have  been  developing  steadily  so 
that  by  this  time  more  quickness  of  movement  may  be  required 
of  the  fingers  bj^  the  introduction  of  eighths,  triplets,  and  six- 
teenths, although  the  tempo  remains  the  same. 

In  the  practice  of  these  elementary  exercises,  and  in  the  rhythm- 
ical ear  training  work  the  metronome  is  invaluable,  but  too  much 
cannot  be  said  against  the  use  of  it  in  other  practising.  Then  it 
should  be  used  only  to  test  the  tempo,  or  the  accuracy  of  the 
rhythm  in  a  difficult  passage. 

In  the  finger  exercises,  eighths,  triplets  and  sixteenths  are  now 
introduced: 

A  child  should  not  do  the  triplets  and  sixteenths  until  later, 
because  they  have  not  yet  appeared  in  the  ear  training  work, 
and  his  fingers  are  not  able  to  do  them  well.  The  difficult}'"  that 
an  older  pupil  will  have  in  doing  them,  depends  upon  the  indi- 
vidual. To  simply  be  able  to  play  the  notes  fast  is  not  by  any 
means  the  idea  in  this  increased  speed.  The  fingers  must  move 
from  the  knuckles  with  the  same  feeling  of  lightness,  the  same  re- 
laxation  of  icrist  and  arm;  and  the  same  steadiness  and  quietness 
of  hand  that  prevailed  in  the  slow  rhythm.  If  the  pupil  finds 
that  even  with  careful  practice  he  cannot  accomplish  this,  he 
should  be  content  to  play  the  slower  values  until  the  fingers  have 
gained  more  independence. 

Two  very  important  points  are  to  be  observed  in  the  increasing 
speed,  namelj^,  the  tone  should  remain  of  the  same  quality  and 
size  in  the  triplets  and  sixteenths  that  it  had  in  the  quarters,  and 


36 


EARS,   BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


as  the  speed  of  finger  movement  is  increased,  the  fingers  must 
play  more  closely  to  the  keys. 

The  two  finger  exercise  in  the  increased  speed  develops  the 
trill. 

The  three,  four,  and  five  finger  exercises  may  also  be  done  in 
this  way. 

In  the  following  two  finger  exercise,  the  holding  of  the  finger 
which  comes  between  the  tones  of  the  broken  3rds,  stimulates 
the  independence  of  the  fingers  and  quietness  of  the  hand. 


I.H 


Object  of  the  Lesson 

I.  Learn  to  recognize  dotted  notes  by  sound. 

IL  Learn  to  hear  melodies  introducing  dotted  notes. 

III.  Begin  hearing  of  the  bass  clef. 

IV.  Do  the  free  finger  exercise  without  overlapping  tones. 
V.  Increase  speed  in  finger  exercises. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

6/8  time  is  the  next  in  order. 
Play  first:      li  P^  f^    I 

if  mf 

Have  the  primary  and  secondary  accents  clearly  deJBned  and 
heard.     Play  also 

ig  J  i^j  ;>|j  ;>j  j^i..-ii§  J-  J.  I J  ;>j.  i 

until  they  can  be  recognized  by  sound. 

Then  melodies  written  in  6/8  time  should  be  given. 


Schumann 


.Heller  .     Schumann  ^o^uumonn 


Schumann 


Schumann 


For  more  advanced  pupils,  such  as  the  following.  — 

Chopin 


37 


38  EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 

The  hearing  of  Harmony  is  of  more  importance  to  the  musician 
than  the  mere  ability  to  write  a  melody  by  ear.  The  mental 
discipline  gained  by  writing  melodies  and  difficult  riiythms  from 
hearing  them  played,  prepares  the  way  for  the  hearing  of  Har- 
mony, which  is  a  more  difficult  matter. 

The  hearing  of  the  intervals  of  the  C  major  scale  should  by  this 
time  give  no  difficulty. 

The  first  step  in  the  hearing  of  chords  is  to  recognize  the  Tonic 
triad,  which  the  pupil  should  understand,  is  formed  on  the  key 


note.     Play  the  three  tones  of  the  chord  in  succession,  fe_i_T:^^ 


accenting  them  strongly.     Then  play  them  together: 

As  this  is  seldom  difficult  to  hear,  proceed  in  the  same  way  with 
GB  D,  the  Dominant  chord  of  C  major,  a,ndF  A  C,  the  Sub- 
Dominant. 

The  pupil  should  tell  the  tones  of  the  chord  by  ear,  and  should 
realize  that  the  tones  of  the  Tonic,  Dominant  and  Sub-Dominant 
chords  are  all  in  the  "family  of  C  major." 

These  three  chords  represent  three  classes  into  which  all  chords 
may  be  divided.  Consequently,  the  more  thoroughly  they  are 
learned,  the  better  it  will  be  for  the  work  later  on. 

The  pupil  should  be  able  to  both  play  and  write  these  chords 
after  hearing  them  played. 

Proceed  in  the  same  way  with  ^—^-o — |  the  Tonic  of  C  minor. 

Be  sure  that  the  pupil  can  easily  recognize  the  difference  between 
major  and  minor  by  ear.  . 

Do  the  same  with  the  Sub-Dominant  of  C  minor    ^^^ 


comparing  this  with  the  Sub-Dominant  of  C  major,  that  the  pupil 
may  realize  the  difference  between  the  two.  The  Dominant  is 
the  same  in  both  keys.  Follow  this  same  plan  throughout  all 
the  major  and  minor  scales.  It  will  take  some  time  to  do  this  well. 
The  pupil  should  be  able  to  both  play  and  write  these  chords 
after  hearing  them  played. 


EARS,   BRAIX  A\D  FINGERS 


39 


Technical  Work     (Wrist  Action) 

In  addition  to  the  development  of  the  consciousness  of  a  light 
wrist,  which  was  brought  about  by  the  "Rocking  Wrist"  exercise, 
the  principle  of  the  movement  of  the  hand  from  the  wrist,  — 
commonly  known  as  "wrist  work"  should  be  taken  up.  This  is 
also  best  done  at  the  table  at  first. 

The  ability  to  let  the  hand  drop  of  its  own  weight  from  the 
wrist,  without  any  effort  at  striking  down,  is  the  first  step. 
With  the  wrist  held  slightly  higher  than  the  level,  allow  the  hand 
to  rise  slowly  and  lightly,  and  drop  down  on  to  the  table.  In  the 
first  work  for  finger  action,  it  will  be  remembered  that  the  finger 
was  slowly  raised,  and  allowed  to  fall  lightly.  In  this  exercise 
for  the  wrist,  think  of  the  hand  as  a  finger,  the  wrist  having  the 
same  relation  to  the  hand,  that  the  knuckles  had  to  the  fingers. 
The  hand  should  not  be  pulled  back  with  force  or  tension,  but 
raised  easily  and  lightly. 

At  the  keyboard  allow  the  hand  to  drop  lightly  on  to  the  third 
finger  as  that  is  the  longest,  then  on  the  thumb  and  third  finger, 
then  on  two  and  four;  then  three  and  five;  then  one  and  five  on 
the  interval  of  a  6th. 

After  the  idea  of  lightness  has  been  gained,  the  hand  should 
move  more  quickly,  but  keep  the  same  condition.  The  exercise 
may  be  practised  \y\th  increasing  speed. 


The  more  rapid  the  motion,  the  more  closely  to  the  kej's  must 
one  play,  so  that  with  the  sixteenths,  the  movement  approximates 
a  vibration  of  the  hand. 

As  an  illustration  of  this  principle  in  simple  form,  examine  the 
Elfentanz  by  Parlow;  The  Clock  bj^  Kullak;  At  the  Blacksmith's 
by  Zilcher;  Snow  Flakes  by  Schytte.  For  older  pupils,  the 
Mendelssohn  Scherzo  in E  minor;  Debussy's  Arabesque,  i?i  G;  or 
Moszkowski's  Etincelles. 

The  Avrist  practice  is  the  beginning  of  octave  work  which  comes 
in  more  advanced  stages. 


40  EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 

Object  of  the  Lesson 
I.     Learn  to  hear  6/8  time,  in  single  tones  and  melodies. 
II.     Learn  to  recognize  the  Tonic,  Dominant,  and  Sub-Dom- 
inant chords  in  C  major  and  C  minor  by  sound. 
III.     Begin  wrist  work. 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  hearing  of  triplets  and  sixteenths  is  the  next  point  to  be 
brought  out  in  the  ear  training.  i     i     i     I 

Play  four  quarters  at  50,  as  at  first,  -      111    ^    •    •    •I     I 

<?'•    "T"    "7""     'IT' 

then  III  /J3  J73  J73 JJJ  I  accenting  the  first  of  each  triplet 

strongly,  so  that  the  beats  may  be  heard  clearly  as  before,  and 
that  the  division  of  each  beat  into  three  parts  may  be  heard. 
The  pupil  should  tap  the  rhythm  with  a  pencil,  and  also  play  it 
on  the  piano.     Introduce  combinations  such  as  the  following: 

It  /S J  /Sj  Ij ;S  |j  jSj  ;S  II J  ;f3J  J I 

Melodies  introducing  triplets: 


Schubert 

r)            rm 

0  #  ^"^s 

&1>V  ITjr, 

^ 

mf-Ji 

j.  JJTi 

zq 

wri"^ 

^ 

jJJ  rr 

p 

W      ^-^ ' — 

L^thz^ 

H 

i&  ^  1  1  ' 

-«*-T^ 

-j^ 

BJji 

P 

^ 

Wagner 


Sixteenths  present  no  particular  difficulty,  except  that  a  child 
finds  it  difficult  to  play  them  on  the  piano  on  account  of  their 
rapidity.  He  may  consequently  tap  them  with  a  pencil  or  sing 
la,  la,  la,  on  one  tone. 

41 


42 


EARS,   BRAIN  AXD  FINGERS 


Play  four  quarters  first 

11  J  J  J  J    i  then 


JTTiJTTiJmim 


noting  the  division  of  each  beat  into  four  even  parts. 
Following  the  same  idea  as  before : 

iifmj  fmj  III  J  J  jTT.^  I 


An  older  pupil  should  be  able  to  hear  examples  like  the  follow- 


ing; 


i»j  J  jm\iJj  ijj  rn|j  Ji 

II  J,iJ533J  III  J1|J  jlJJjj  J|| 

ij  ;3| J.  J5J.  j5|Ji  JJ53J  III  nmimn  i 

114  I  >  I  >  114-  __7_^  II 

Or  with  thirty-second  notes  — 

[4  J.  ^fi^j  II J  .fra/1  .S^^iJ .  1 

Pupils  should  practise  these  rhythm  exercises  at  home  for 
concentration,  playing  on  Middle  C  or  tapping  them  with  a  pencil 
using  the  metronome.  Then  play  them  for  the  teacher's  criti- 
cism. Melodies  introducing  sixteenths  and  thirty-second  notes  in 
various  rhythms  should  be  given.     For  example: 

Cj'ril  Scott 


Beethoven 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


43 


Schumann 


Scarlatti 


The  pupil  who  has  never  had  scales  should  be  given  the 
formula  of  the  succession  of  steps  and  half  steps,  and  write  the 
scales  out  for  himself,  so  that  he  understands  why  the  sharps  and 
flats  are  used.  After  a  pupil  is  able  to  hear  five  tones  of  the  C 
major  scale,  the  sharps  and  flats  are  heard  wathout  extra  work. 
The  ability  to  hear  other  keys  than  C  major  also  comes  naturally. 


Technical  Work    (Sc.axe  Preparation) 


The  preparatory  work 
for  playing  the  scale  is 
next  in  order.  The  move- 
ment of  the  thumb  under 
the  hand  is  the  first 
difficulty  to  be  overcome. 
As  the  hand  is  held  ob- 
liquely for  scale  playing, 
the  following  exercise  is 
given  to  illustrate  the 
position : 

L  H 


Vr^-\ 


Cut  IV. 

(The  fourth  and  fifth   fingers   held 
loosely  in  the  air.)     See  Cut  IV. 

The  "Rocking  AVrist"  should  be   done  several  times  in  this 


44 


EARS,  BRAiy  ASD  FISGERS 


position,  as  the  holding  of  the  thumb  under  the  hand  has  a  tend- 
ency to  stiffen  the  wrist.  After  this,  proceed  with  the  following 
exercises,  using  the  Ught  quick  finger  action  from  the  quiet  hand: 


■^. — 1 

1 

|. 

Hh = 

1^— 

A — — - 

1^- 

^ 

1  n**»» 

a' 

3* 

a 

^ 

To  this  exercise  is  added  the  passing  of  the  thumb  under  the 
hand  from  C  to  F  and  back.  The  thumb  should  move  from  C  to 
F  as  quickly  as  possible  in  order  to  educate  it  to  going  under 
almost  automatically,  hui  the  nates  should  he  played  slowly.  The 
non-playing  fingers  are  held  in  the  air. 

Listen  for  the  evenness  and  singing  quality  in  the  tones. 


This  brings  the  exercise  to 

18        3         13 


L  ff 


•     • 


J       I       1 


which  is  the  first  group  in  the  C  major  s?ale.     The  rest  of  the 
octave  is  worked  out  in  exactly  the  same  manner. 
The  first  position  is  taken  as  follows, — 


LH       =  ? 


Do  the  "Rocking  Wrist"  in  this  position  before  starting  the 
finger  work  and  test  the  condition  of  the  ■wrist  often.  The 
order  of  the  cxEroBa  using  the  thumb  under  the  fourth  finger,  is 


foDows:    i"  1  a  2 


EARS.  BRaIS  and  FINGERS 


45 


■/-°'#.#|:'«>^#,*:fl^o*',»:|:  .v*'*'i*«#,>'ni 


r  13,    4143.  12     4142  ■iltj,  ZIZ3*1*1Z 


Note. — ^If  the  hand  is  not  small,  bat  is  <ae  far  whidi  tke 
the  thini  iager  peeasts  ao  ^knkj,  the  int  9tt  a£  pi^Bniarf  C3 

scale  may  be  oa^tted  and  those  aider  the  fooA  ii^er  hegai  at 

sa\-es  time.    For  a  small  hand  however,  the  first  set  is  adwmWr  as  a 
for  the  larger  stretch.    A  child's  hand  is  too  small  to  do  the 
the  fourth  linger.     He  may  do  the  eierdse  which  txaVB  Ac 
second  linger  and  play  only  the  one  octave  sciie. 


Bfartfe 
as  this 


the 


Object  of  the  Lesson 
I.     Learn  to  hear  triplets  and   16ths  in 
melodies. 

II.     Learn  to  write  scales. 
III.     Do  preparatory  exercises  for  playing  scales. 


^mes  and 


CHAPTER  XI. 


The  hearing  of  the  Tonic,   Dominant,   and   Sub-Dominant 
chords  in  their  inversions  should  now  be  given: 


These  chords  may  be  introduced  in  other  keys  also. 

Take  the  keys  of  G  major  and  F  major  first.  The  pupil  should 
understand  that  in  the  key  of  G  major,  the  chord  G,  B,  D,  which 
he  previously  learned  as  Dominant  of  C,  is  the  Tonic  of  the  new 
kej%  and  that  the  chord  C,E,G,  is  now  the  Sub-Dominant  ia  the 
new  key.  In  F  major,  that  F,  A,  C,  is  no  longer  Sub-Dominant 
but  Tonic,  and  C,  E,  G,  is  Dominant  in  the  key  of  F. 

For  children,  the  melodies  (which  should  still  be  given  in  the 
ear  training)  will  necessarily  remain  quite  simple  and  short,  as 
the  music  they  should  be  playing  by  this  time,  and  from  which 
the  melodies  should  be  selected,  is  of  simple  character. 

Older  pupils  may  be  given  more  complicated  work, — for 
example : 


m 


Bach 


'».,  p\.  /3rr  ir. r./Lrrxfrig 


f^ 


r  I'  r  '  r 


I'si  ^  iLiLr  1^^  1^ '  ''"^'''°'"^  ^^^^ 


Beethoven 


An  added  test  for  concentration  is  the  ability  to  hear  the  dif- 
ference between  8ths  and  triplets  when  in  succession,  and  to 

46 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS  47 

practise  them  with  the  metronome  at  home.     For  example: 

III  J3  J33JJJ33 1 1  J33JJJ^;^  III  JJ3J33J|||J.J);3J31||J.^|| 


After  these  rhythms  can  be  heard  on  one  tone,  introduce  them 
in  melodies : 

Chopin  *     .  Schumann 


Another  very  valuable  aid  in  developing  concentration  is  the 
hearing  of  such  passages  as  the  following.  Pupils  are  usually 
quite  confused  in  trying  to  hear  them.  In  the  first  example  for 
instance,  the  fact  that  the  sequence  D'EF  sharp  is  repeated  four 
times  in  the  first  measure,  is  rarely  heard  by  the  pupil  at  first, 
and  he  seldom  realizes  that  these  three  tones  combined  with  A , 
form  the  entire  measure. 

The  teacher  should  play  these  examples  in  a  slower  tempo 
than  is  called  for  in  the  original. 


=M^ 

S=«r^=^-» 

=^fe-f= 

=tf 

^ 

r— - 

F^ 

»fr 

*  .  -  .^  ' 

-^f^ 

=f^ 

m 

A    ,    Bach 

'    -^       %^      '      '       i      ' 

i^'i  f  ,  ru^i"  cLi.i 

ffxb'U', tsfwf'w't»»n.P»Pfm.» 

AV 

r>'#r,r  r 

—p — P- 

Beeth 

ba  eJi^'^^gai^a 

^ 

«J 

Beetl 

loven 

3f? 

M-p-=J 

4^^ 

F?=aq  ff^ 

^ 

=^ 

^^ 

y=iyi} 

#^^ 

%J3*JM 

l*J   W    f^\ 

^ 

=d 

^ 

^ 

ilJ    *    ^ 

'  '^^  < 

^-^-m 

tdt 

48 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


Bach 


Technical  Work    (The  Close  Touch) 

Up  to  this  point  the  technical  work  has  been  done  entirely 
with  the  high  finger  action,  in  order  to  establish  the  correct  con- 
dition of  the  hand  and  arm. 

By  the  time  preparatory  work  for  the  scale  has  been  done,  the 
condition  of  relaxation  should  have  become  so  natural  that  the 
finger  work  can  be  done  close  to  the  keys  and  not  affect  this 
condition.  This  close  work  should  not  be  done  until  the  finger 
action  is  well  established.  For  if  it  is  done  at  first,  it  causes  the 
tone  to  come  too  much  from  the  arm,  has  a  tendency  to  make  the 
tone  hard,  and  to  "tie  up"  the  playing  apparatus  so  that  freedom 
is  impaired.  The  finger  exercises  as  outlined  in  Lesson  3  are 
adhered  to. 

Place  the  hand  in  position,  resting  on  the  depressed  keys  as  at 
first.  The  finger  which  is  to  play  comes  up  as  far  as  the  key 
itself  comes  (in  other  words,  it  does  not  leave  the  surface  of  the 
key.  Then  with  a  quick  downward  stroke  of  the  finger,  the  tone 
is  produced.     It  must  be  observed  that  the  tone  is  produced  by 

finger  action,  although 
the  finger  has  not  left  the 
surface  of  the  key.  Great 
care  must  be  taken  that  this 
does  not  degenerate  into  a 
"'punch"  from  the  arm. 
The  quality  of  tone  de- 
pends upon  the  lightness 
of  the  wrist  and  arm, 
and  the  quickness  of  the 
short  finger  stroke.  The 
tones  are  produced  by  a 

Cut  V. 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


49 


quick  motion  of  the  finger, 
but  are  played  slowly. 

The  sensation  of  weight 
and  firmness  of  the  finger 
tips  is  developed  by  this 
touch.  Consequent!}', 
more  singing  quality  and 
greater  volume  of  tone  is 
the  result.  To  avoid  the 
tone  getting  too  heavy  in 
quality,  practise  this  close 
work  alternately  with  the 
higher  stroke. 

In  the  free  position  as 
described  in  Chapter  VII, 
this  touch  is  particularly 
valuable  as  it  is  so  fre- 
quently used  in  playing. 
The  finger  which  is  to  play 
drops  on  to  the  surface  of 
the  key,  then  presses  the 
key  quickly  to  the  bottom. 
In  the  two,  three,  four, 
and  five  finger  exercises, 
Cut  VII.  ^he  finger  which  has 

played  before  the  one  sounding  the  tone  should  spring  up  quickly 
at  the  time  the  new  tone  is  sounded.  It  immediately  assumes  the 
position  above  the  keys  taken  in  the  tree  position.  See  Cuts 
V,  \T,  and  VII. 

This  work  close  to  the  keys  is  of  very  great  importance  in  a  pianist's 
technical  equipment.  It  is  particularly  valuable  in  the  development 
of  his  tone,  and  must  he  carefully  studied. 


Object  of  the  Lesson 

I.     Learn  to  hear  the  Tonic,  Dominant,  and  Sub-Dominant 
chords  of  C  in  their  inversions.     Also  in  G  major  and  F  major. 


50  EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 

II.     Learn  to  hear  8ths  and  triplets  in  combination,  and  con- 
tinue melody  work. 

III.     Do  technical  work  close  to  the  keys. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


The  hearing  of  intervals  was  begun  with  single  tones  following 
one  another.  The  definite  hearing  of  two  voices  at  once  should 
now  be  taken  up.  It  would  be  well  to  introduce  the  specific 
size  of  intervals  at  this  point  also.  (Alajor  and  minor  3rds, 
perfect  4ths,  etc.) 

It  is  necessary  for  children  to  hear  two  voices  at  once,  because 
so  many  of  the  easier  compositions  are  written  in  two  voices. 

For  the  children,  as  well  as  the  older  pupils,  this  training  should 
precede  the  playing  of  polyphonic  works,  which  are  so  valuable  for 
the  intellectual  as  well  as  the  technical  development. 

Very  simple  and  short  passages  should  be  given  at  first,  par- 
ticularly to  children, — that  the  progression  of  each  voice  maybe 
clearly  heard.     For  example: 


^ 


m 


^^^ 


? 


^ 


r 


^^M  Ill^r'rrlJ   0"'^''i> 


g'U  JjH-l  I  ,4''h^r^hr 


T 


Scarlatti 

fT*  -""J^ 

H^p^ 

i;,.  JT 

n  1 J 

\PT..\  II 

^MJJ 

ulrEir 

^4t=j 

¥=i^ 

4rr^ 

f-    H  " 

^ 


% 


Wagner,  "Lohengrin" 


m 


r '  r  r  r 


51 


52 


EARS.  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


When  these  can  be  easily  heard  and  written,  the  two  clefs  may- 
be introduced.  The  soprano  and  bass  voices  of  the  complete 
cadence  may  also  be  given  here  as  a  preparation  for  the  hearing 
of  the  cadence.     (See  Chapter  XIV.) 


^m 


(^<'p    J 


^ 


(^<J     J 


rH-n-i 

■   rt- 

^h==^ 

1  1   1  1 

fh=^ 

1 

^ 

{1 

" 

-= 

•lAUo  in  other  keys 


Technical  Work    (Scales) 

The  first  preparatory  exercises  for  the  scale  have  been  for  the 
development  of  the  rapidity  of  the  thumb  in  passing  under  the 
hand.  The  next  step  is  the  joining  of  the  two  groups  and  the 
passing  of  the  hand  over  the  thumb. 

To  illustrate  this,  hold  C  with  the  thumb,  (hand  oblique),  then 
play  5  with  the  fourth  finger  and  D  with  the  second, — being  care- 
ful that  the  hand  and  arm  retain  the  same  oblique  position  as 
they  pass  from  B  to  D.  They  should  move  slowly  and  steadily 
without  a  quick  jerk,  allowing  one  count  for  the  silent  thumb  in 
this  manner — (the  hand  passes  during  the  quarter  rest.) 


.^'J'LjjjMjJjMj^jjJJJi 


r  fj 

^^►-   --           #f:#*----*. 

,^^    ^       ^     ^~^  \ 

f^r 

y-^ i  \  i 

—f- 

E=^ 

rr  r  i 

1  1  1  1  1  r  i  1 

Thumb  held. 

These  two  measures  form  a  nucleus  from  which  the  scale  may 
be  built  up  by  adding  a  tone  at  the  top  and  bottom  each  time 
until  two  octaves  have  been  played.     This  gives  variety  to  the 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS  63 

practice  and  also  brings  about  many  repetitions  of  the  exercise 
unconsciously. 

From  this  point  the  four  octave  scale  may  be  done  without 
further  preliminary  work. 

In  good  scale  playing  there  are  twelve  points  which  are  important 
factors : 

1st.     Knowledge  of  the  scale  formation. 

2nd.    Oblique  position  of  the  hand. 

3rd.     Loose  wrist  and  arm. 

4th.     Finger  action  from  the  knuckles.     (High  finger  action 

and  close  finger  action.) 
5th.     Curved  fingers. 

6th.     Quickness  of  the  up  action  of  the  fingers. 
7th.     Passing  of  the  thumb  under  quickly. 
8th.     Sense  of  rhythm. 

9th.     Hand  slightly  tipped  toward  the  5th  finger  as  the 
movement  is  in  that  direction — tipped  toward  the 
thumb  as  the  movement  is  in  that  direction. 
10th.     Depression  of  wrist  at  turning  points. 
11th.     Steady  parsing  of  the  arm. 
12th.     Evenness  of  tone  quality,  developed  by  keenness  of 

hearing. 
Chromatic  scales  are  played  in  a  similar  manner  to  diatonic 
scales.  The  wrist  may  be  held  somewhat  higher  on  account  of 
the  frequence  occurrence  of  black  keys.  The  thumb  should  be 
near  enough  to  the  edge  of  the  black  keys  so  that  they  have  the 
same  relation  to  the  hand  as  the  white  keys,  and  that  the  arm  may 
pass  along  in  a  straight  line  from  right  to  left  without  going 
zig-zag  back  and  forth. 

The  practice  of  chromatic  scales  is  of  particular  advantage  in 
developing  fluency,  in  that  they  require  a  light  thumb,  and  the 
frequent  recurrence  of  the  thumb  gives  this  unruly  member  of 
the  hand  special  training. 

Object  of  the  Lesson 

L      Learn  to  recognize  the  specific  size  of  intervals  by  sound. 
II.      Learn  to  hear  two  voices  by  sound. 


64  EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 

III.     Do  the  preparatory  exercise  for  the  passing  of  the  hand 
over  the  thumb  in  scales. 

IV=     Begin  the  practice  of  four  octave  scales. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

As  the  ability  to  hear  the  Tonic,  Dominant,  and  Sub-Domin- 
ant triads  when  played  singly,  should  now  be  acquired,  the  ability 
to  hear  them  in  combination  is  the  next  step.  This  will  not 
present  any  special  difficulty,  if  the  single  chords  were  well 
learned.     Begin  as  follows: 


/p — 1 

It   1%  »» — 

n  ?t » 

n  Q  » 

11  »  11  1 

#^#*J 

8  »  8 

o  "  o 

o  8  o 

8  8  8  1 

a) >     ^ i^ > A > 


*  Transpose  to  G  and  K  major 


55 


56  EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 

In  playing  these  chords  for  the  ear  training  work,  it  is  well  to 
play  them  first  with  all  three  voices  equally  strong.  Then,  if  it 
is  difficult  to  hear  them,  they  should  be  played  again,  first  em- 
phasizing the  upper  voice,  then  in  turn  the  middle  voice  and  the 
lower  voice.  In  this  way,  the  fact  that  the  chords  are  formed 
by  the  coming  together  of  three  voices,  each  oi  which  has  its  own 
movement  (voice  leading),  will  be  better  realized. 

The  playing  of  the  Tonic  chord  at  the  beginning  of  the  com- 
plete cadence,  (see  A)  gives  the  pupil  the  key.  The  Sub-Domin- 
ant falling  on  the  strongly  accented  first  beat  of  the  next  measure 
gives  him  the  sense  of  its  leading  toward  the  Dominant.  While 
the  final  Tonic  chord  following  after  the  Dominant,  gives  him 
the  realization  of  finish  or  completion.  This  prepares  him  for 
the  hearing  of  the  cadence  in  the  four-voiced  harmony  which 
comes  later. 

If  the  pupil  has  difficulty  in  recognizing  the  key,  when  these 
chords  and  cadences  are  played  in  other  keys  than  C  major,  he 
may  be  guided  in  determining  the  key  note  by  comparing  it  with 
middle  C.     For  instance,  if  the  chords  are  to  be  given  in  G  major, 


play  at  first  as  follows:      ^        p^         When  the  pupil  has 

recognized    the    tone  G,  sound  the    Tonic   chord  of  G  major 

■fir-jHI     ^^d  ^®  will  know  the  key  in  which  the  chords  are  to 
^'    "  " 
be  given. 

Technical  Work  (Arpeggios) 

The  preparatory  work  for  arpeggio  playing  is  founded  on  the 
same  plan  as  that  used  for  scales.     The  first  position  is  to  place 


the  hand  on  the  C  major  chord.     ^   o^  H      The  position  of  the 


hand  when  taking  this  chord  depends  upon  its  size  and  shape. 
Generally  speaking,  the  hand  should  be  well  arched  and  some- 
what tipped  toward  the  fifth  finger,  with  the  second  and  third 
fingers  curved.  The  "Rocking  Wrist"  should  be  done  in  this 
new  position.  Then  the  single  finger  work.  The  hand  must  be 
absolutely  without  tension.     The  increased  span  is  apt  to  cause 


EARS.   BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


57 


one  to  imagine  that  the  hand  must  be  stiffened  to  reach  the  chord. 
Swing  the  arm  at  the  side  many  times  until  the  position  can  be 
taken  without  stiffness.  It  may  be  necessary  to  take  a  very  light 
tone  once  more  or  even  to  play  on  top  of  the  keys  in  order  to  be 
sure  of  this  relaxation  at  first.  The  fifth  finger  maj'  be  held  on 
B  instead  of  C,  or  allowed  to  be  free,  if  the  hand  feels  cramped 
when  it  is  held  down. 

The  order  of  the  exercises  is  as  follows: 


?^^^:ii:;<rrr#l^rrr-ii-frrr'" 


Jvvi   - 


Arpeggios  are  played  with  the  fingers  close  to  the  keys,  for  the 
spread  position  which  the  hand  must  assume,  brings  the  fingers 
closer  to  the  keys  than  the  other  position. 

The  movement  of  the  thumb  under  the  hand  is  a  little  more 
difficult  in  arpeggios  than  in  scales  on  account,  of  the  increased 
distance  which  the  thumb  has  to  go. 

The  exercises  for  the  development  of  the  thumb  in  arpeggio 
playing  follow  the  sarhe  order  as  those  of  the  scale.  Place  the 
third  finger  on  G  and  the  thumb  under  on  the  C  above  (hand 
oblique),  the  non-playing  fingers  being  free. 

If  the  plan  used  in  the  scale  preparatory  exercises  were  to  be 
followed  exactly,  the  second  finger  would  be  held  on  E.  But 
this  is  too  great  a  strain  for  the  ordinary  hand  and  is  not  advis- 
able unless  it  can  be  done  easily.  The  hand  may  turn  a  little 
when  the  thumb  goes  under. 


58  EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 

The  order  of  the  exercises  is  as  follows; 


J.. 


It  1     11  I  iA  1    4    2   '4  "4    1     4  I  2  '4    1     '4  2 


Following  the  order  of  the  scale  preparatory  exercises,  the 
passing  of  the  hand  over  the  thumb  is  the  next  step.  The  prin- 
ciple of  the  passing  of  the  hand  and  arm  in  this  exercise  as  applied 
to  arpeggios,  is  the  same  as  was  required  in  the  scale  work. 


t.  2        3 1^13,        -^12^21323  1         m'^m . i^ 

■'f<j<#rrrJtrrrrfjjj:y:rrrrrrrJjjjJ'ii 


.L.H..  ^  etc. 


The  four  octave  arpeggio  may  now  be  practised.  The  points 
to  be  observed  are  identically  the  same  as  those  for  the  scale 
playing.  The  position  of  the  hand  for  the  C  minor  arpeggio  is 
the  same  as  for  C  major  with  the  exception  of  the  second  finger, 
which  is  held  straighter  on  the  E  flat. 

The  following  order  of  chords  is  useful  in  practising  arpeggios: 


The  arpeggios  built  on  the  simple  triads  are  to  be  practised  in 
groups  of  four  notes;  those  on  the  Dominant  7th  in  groups  of 
three  notes.  This  is  to  avoid  the  successive  accents  falling  on 
the  thumb. 


EARS,   BRAiy  AND  FINGERS 


59 


The  diminished  seventh  arpeggios  are  also  done  in  groups  of 
three. 


rfc.\ 


When  the  finger  work  is  practised  in  the  Dominant  7th  and 
Diminished  7th  chord  positions,  it  will  be  found  that  the  hand  is 
both  strengthened  and  stretched.  Care  should  be  taken  not  to 
practise  these  positions  too  long  at  a  time.  The  arm  and  hand 
should  be  relaxed  often,  and  the  exercises  done  with  each  band 
alone,  as  is  the  case  with  all  the  finger  work. 


Object  of  the  Lesson 

I.  Learn  to  hear  Tonic,  Dominant,  and  Sub-Dominant 
chords  in  combination.  Also  in  the  form  of  the  complete 
cadence. 

IL     Do  the  preparatory  work  for  arpeggio  playing. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

In  Chapter  IX  it  was  stated  that  the  Tonic,  Dominant,  and 
Sub-Dominant  chords  represent  three  classes  into  which  all 
chords  may  be  divided.  The  development  of  the  ability  to  hear 
the  complete  cadence  with  four  voices  is  consequently  a  most 
important  step  in  the  ear  training,  as  it  illustrates  the  funda- 
mental use  of  these  chords,  and  is  a  foundation  for  hearing  a  great 
number  of  chords.  The  mission  of  the  Sub-Dominant  chords 
is  primarily  to  lead  to  the  Dominant;  while  that  of  the  Dominant 
is  to  lead  to  the  Tonic,  as  was  shown  in  the  previous  lesson. 
The  following  order  is  best  adapted  for  hearing  this  relationship, — 


I,  IV,  V,  I: 


§S 


This  cadence  should  be 


played  in  all  major  and  minor  keys  until  the  pupil  is  able  to 
recognize  and  write  it  in  all  keys  from  hearing  it  played. 


m 


fcrnf; 


t 


i 


^ 


i 


i 


I 


i_u_22^:xi: 


rs 


%',  ..I  rri  .p-i^  .T|fn"r>"  ■■  ml-P'^ "  m  I'l  1^'"  "iTi'l " 


etc.  ID  mioor 


The  principle  of  -the  classification  of  chords  under  these  three 
heads  is  admirably  explained  and  completely  developed  in  Van 
Eyken's  Harmony  (edited  by  Dr.  Hugo  Leichtentritt  and  Oskar 

60 


EARS.  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS  61 

Wappenschmitt).     The  reader  is  recommended  to  examine  this 
work  for  a  thorough  study  of  Harmony  along  these  lines. 

Technical  Work  (Octaves) 

The  wrist  work  outlined  in  Chapter  IX  is  really  preparatory 
for  octaves.  The  ability  to  drop  the  hand  from  the  wrist  and 
to  retain  this  relaxed  condition  in  rapidity,  has  great  value  in 
octave  playing.  It  is  necessary  to  have  sufficient  strength  in 
the  fifth  finger  side  of  the  hand  to  be  able  to  drop  the  hand  on  to 
the  thumb  and  fifth  fingers,  and  still  have  the  weaker  side  of  the 
hand  able  to  receive  the  weight  put  upon  it.  There  are  special 
exercises  for  the  development  of  this  point,  but  as  they  should 
be  shown  by  a  teacher  in  order  to  be  successfully  done,  they  can- 
not be  given  here. 

This  principle  of  the  dropping  of  the  hand  is  applied  to  staccato 
passages  in  single  notes.  For  example,  the  opening  measures  of 
Moszkowski's  Juggleress,  the  Debussy  Arabesque  No.  2,  or  the 
Brahms  Capriccio  in  B  minor. 

In  diatonic  or  chromatic  octave  passages,  or  a  combina- 
tion of  the  two,  a  somewhat  different  treatment  is  necessary. 
The  wrist  is  held  considerably  higher,  with  the  thumb  close  to 
the  edge  of  the  black  keys.  In  fact,  the  thumb  should  move 
away  from  the  black  keys  as  little  as  possible.  The  fourth  finger 
should  be  used  on  the  black  keys,  if  this  finger  is  convenient  for 
the  hand.  If  the  hand  is  small  or  so  shaped  that  it  is  very  awk- 
ward to  use  the  fourth  finger,  the  fifth  may  be  used  instead. 
The  tone  is  produced  by  the  fingers  in  combination  with  a  slight 
vibration  of  the  hand  at  the  wrist.  As  a  preliminary  exercise 
for  this  kind  of  octaves,  the  playing  of  the  chromatic  scale  both 
legato  and  staccato  with  the  fourth  and  fifth  fingers  alone,  is 
advised: 

R.H  r  u 


I        '  '  I       r      4       i  4^  4       5 


The  hand  is  held  as  if  octaves  were  to  be  played,  the  wrist 
high  and  the  fingers  straight.     The  arm  passes  steadily  along  in 


62 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


a  straight  line.  The  same  may  be  done  with  the  thumb  alone, 
keeping  it  close  to  the  black  keys.  Then  proceed  with  the 
octaves.  There  is  also  an  elevation  i.nd  depression  of  the  wrist 
when  playing  this  kind  of  octaves,  according  to  the  way  the  pass- 
age is  written. 

The  advantage  in  playing  melodic  passages  written  in  octaves 
in  this  way,  is  that  they  gain  a  more  connected  and  melodic 
character,  instead  of  being  merely  a  succession  of  octaves,  and 
there  is  the  greatest  possible  economy  of  motion. 

The  more  tone  demanded  in  an  octave  passage,  the  more  the 
arm  force  is  called  into  play.  For  example,  the  Mendelssohn 
Scherzo  (end  of  the  passage  in  octaves) : 


At  the  last  part  of  this  passage,  in  order  to  gain  as  much  tone 
as  possible,  with  the  least  effort,  the  wrist  should  be  quite  high 
with  the  thumb  straight,  and  the  movement  from  the  elbow,  as 
this  brings  the  force  of  the  arm  down  on  to  the  straight  thumbs. 
There  is  a  certain  quality  of  "bounding"  from  one  octave  to 
the  other  here,  which  aids  in  the  maintenance  of  relaxation.  As 
a  rubber  ball  bounds  after  hitting  a  hard  surface,  so  the  arm 
should  bound  from  one  octave  to  another  in  forte  passages. 
This  is  developed  in  the  slow  practice.  It  is  a  mental  conception 
of  a  sensation  rather  than  a  physical  reality. 

The  first  part  of  this  passage  from  the  Mendelssohn  Scherzo, 
illustrates  another  important  feature  of  octave  playing,  whereby 
strength  and  endurance  may  be  saved  and  the  passage  given  a 
more  musical  character.  The  unaccented  8ths  are  played 
lightly  from  the  wrist,  while  the  accented  notes  are  given  more 
tone  by  a  strong  accent  from  the  arm  until  the  C  at  the  top  has 
been  reached.  Then  the  arm  is  used  in  every  tone  as  explained 
above. 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


63 


In  very  heavy  octave  passages  where  fortissimo  octaves  are 
demanded  for  several  measures,  it  is  important  that  the  slow 
practice  be  done  in  the  manner  which  will  give  the  most  tone 
and  speed  in  velocity.  In  such  a  case  there  should  be  very  little, 
if  any  movement  of  the  hand  from  the  wrist.  On  the  contrary, 
the  hinge  is  at  the  elbow.  The  hands  remain  close  to  the  keys, 
but  the  movement  from  one  octave  to  the  next  should  be  made 
as  quickly  as  possible.  The  wrist  is  again  high,  to  gain  the 
strength  of  the  thumb.  Such  octaves  are  fatiguing,  and  should 
be  practiced  only  a  few  times  in  succession. 

In  a  passage  like  the  following  from  Leschetizky's  Intermezzo 
in  Octaves  it  is  best  to  think  of  playing  the  entire  passage  from 
one  impulse  of  the  arm. 

1 


The  arm  falls  on  the  octave  F  at  the  top  of  the  passage,  and 
seemingly  bounds  over  the  rest  of  it.  In  reality,  after  the  first 
tone,  it  is  wrist  action.  But  the  thought  should  be  of  the  passage 
as  a  whole  and  not  of  each  individual  octave. 

The  hand  which  by  nature  is  best  adapted  for  a  fluent  and 
brilliant  octave  technic,  is  one  which  has  a  very  wide  span  be- 
tween the  thumb  and  second  finger,  or  is  large  enough  so  that  it 
can  be  held  relaxed,  and  still  reach  octaves  without  a  feeling  of 
stretching  the  hand  to  cover  them.  It  is  not  advisable  for  per- 
sons with  small  or  sensitive  hands  to  attempt  to  develop  a  great 
octave  technic.  It  requires  more  physic:il  endurance  than  such 
a  hand  is  capable  of  maintaining. 


Object  of  the  Lesson 

I.     Learn  to  hear  the  complete  cadence  with  four  voices  in 
all  major  and  minor  keys. 

II.     Learn  to  hear  chords  as  they  appear  in  examples  from 
compositions. 

III.     Begin  octave  work. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

At  the  time  when  the  complete  cadence  can  be  well  heard,  the 
pupil  is  thoroughly  prepared  for  a  special  Harmony  teacher,  and 
should  without  question  make  theory  work  a  part  of  his  music 
study.  From  this  time  on  the  development  of  that  branch  of 
ear  training  is  continued  by  the  systematic  study  of  Harmony 
along  these  lines. 

In  order  to  make  the  ability  to  hear  the  cadence  of  still  more 
practical  value,  examples  should  be  given  from  compositions  in 
which  these  chords  constitute  the  underlying  harmony. 

The  teacher  should  play  the  example  given,  and  the  pupil 
should  tell  the  chords  on  which  it  is  written  from  hearing  it 
played.  If  this  is  too  difficult  at  first,  the  teacher  may  play  the 
simple  harmonies  for  him  to  hear,  and  then  repeat  the  passage 
that  he  may  learn  to  recognize  the  same  chords  in  the  form  in 
which  they  appear  in  the  example. 


Extracts  from  German  Children's  Songs 


Tonic  (I)  I    IV  I      IV  V       I 


I     U       \ 


IV     V         I 


\2\\n^\n^ 


P 


G  major  -,        i^ 

-rr^^i|^l1^^lft 

I  V  I       V  ' 


64 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


65 


Mozart,  Sonata 


66 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


The  continuation  of  the  hearing  of  polyphonic  work  is  of  great 
importance  as  it  leads  to  a  better  preparation  for  the  study  of 
counterpoint,  and  the  playing  and  understanding  of  the  works  of 
Bach. 

Continuing  from  the  simple  forms  illustrated  in  Chapter  XII 
in  all  of  which  the  '^.wo  voices  entered,  and  continued  together, 
introduce  two  voiced  passages  in  w^hich  the  second  voice  enters 
later  than  the  first.     For  example: 


The  following  passages  written  in  two  voices  are  to  be  used  as 
a  continuation  of  the  exercises  for  concentration  given  in  Chapter 
XI.  (Here,  as  in  Chapter  VI,  the  length  of  the  passage  given 
must  be  determined  by  the  retentiveness  of  the  pupil.) 


Beethoven 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


67 


Technical  Work  (Velocity) 

The  imderlying  principle  of  plajdng  with  fluency  and  velocity 
is  the  ability  to  "let  go" — in  other  words,  relaxation. 

The  ability  to  think  quickly  also  plays  an  important  part  in 
maintaining  steadiness  and  control  in  rapidity. 

The  first  thought  in  the  development  of  velocity  is  to  stimu- 
late the  idea  of  playing  a  group  of  notes  with  the  thought 
of  the  group  as  a  whole,  and  not  as  a  succession  of  single  tones. 
At  first  it  is  not  advisable  to  attempt  to  have  a  big  tone  in  fast 
playing.  The  principle  given  in  the  development  of  a  single 
tone  should  be  followed.  "WTien  the  condition  of  relaxation  in 
rapidity  is  obtained,  work  for  more  tone,  but  be  sure  that  the 
condition  remains  the  same.  Begin  with  a  short  group  of  only 
three  to  five  tones: 


L.H 


Play  them  at  first  quickly,  but  lightly,  or  even  on  top  of  the 
keys  with  no  tone,  in  order  to  gain  the  sensation  of  "letting  go." 
After  each  group,  swing  the  arm  at  the  side,  and  be  sure  that  the 
same  feeling  of  lightness  remains  in  the  hand  and  arm  when  play- 
ing the  short  group  of  tones,  that  prevailed  when  the  arm  was 
swinging.  If  they  are  relaxed,  the  tones  will  be  perfectly  even. 
Unevenness  is  caused  by  stiffness.  The  thought  is  to  be  centered 
on  the  playing  of  the  group  by  one  impulse  from  the  hand, — not 
by  a  separate  impulse  from  each  finger.  The  groups  are  begun 
on  the  thumb,  r.s  it  is  easier  to  drop  the  hand  in  a  relaxed  con- 
dition on  the  thumb  than  on  the  fifth  finger.  After  the  first 
group,  however,  the  following  may  be  done: 


R.H. 


1   4 


m 
z 


Listen  carefully  for  the  even-    rw 
ness  of  quality,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing group 


1  a 


be   sure  that  the  thumb  does  not  sound  heavier,  but  has  the' 


68 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


same  evenness  of  quality  that  prevailed  in  1  2  3  4  5.     With  this 
as  a  foundation,  build  up  to  a  one  octave  scale  or  over. 


T^2     '     23*4 

In  the  longer  groups,  keep  the  same  idea  of  one  impulse  for 
the  group  as  betore.  Other  keys  besides  C  major  should  be 
practised,  also  chromatics.  It  is  taken  for  granted  that  the 
fingers  have  gained  considerable  independence  in  the  elementary 
finger  work  before  this  velocity  work  is  begun. 

Fluency  in  arpeggios  and  octaves  is  brought  about  on  the  same 
principle: 


0 

h\  ff\ 

•  ■^ 

- 

^ 

r  f  r 

* 

• 

» 

m. 

^« 

-fk^-' 

--\ — '--^ 

//  //p  --- 

^ 

b — ^^ 

jtW^ 

L| 

p- 

- 

'  a 

-V3 

"±i — It' 

m"    "  "• IT"" 

»-]■- 





—  ^z. 

' — 

■~p- 

r 

f 

tJ    ■• 

*•  J.S* 

b3 

^ 

s 

u 

^ 

S 

»  ■• 

« 

^^^ 

F^ 

esaj         ^ 

s 

p 

^ 

» 

'/  ucr  lCi 

M 

iH^ 

IjIJH^hJ 

r*"* 

—m^-^-^Hh*^ 

:# 

■^ 

^ 

yr  ^ 

■-« 

-^^^ 

^ 

J-* 

rlJJ^   3J« 

"• 

1  W* 

1 " 

In  the  development  of  octaves,  a  still  shorter  group  is  advisable 
at  first,  for  the  added  stretch  of  the  hand  is  apt  to  cause  tension. 


EARS.  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


69 


In  chromatic  octaves,  the  principle  of  the  so-called  finger  octaves 
should  be  observed. 

Just  as  soon  as  these  groups  can  be  done  easily,  the  principle 
should  be  applied  to  compositions  illustrating  it.     For  example: 

Easy, 

Pixies  Sliding  Down  Hill. 
Waltz  in  C  major. 
Ghost  in  the  Chimney. 
Spanish  Dance,  Op.  228. 


Brown, 
Dennee, 

Kullak, 
Gurlitt, 

Medium, 
3iIacDowell, 
Heller, 
Grieg, 

Ph.  Em.  Bach, 
J.  S.  Bach, 
Lavallee, 
Chopin, 

Advanced, 

Scarlatti-Tausig,  Pastorale. 


Shadow  Dance. 

Preludes,  Op.  81,  N^os.  3  and  10. 

Little  Bird  and  March  of  the  Dwarfs. 

Solfeggietto. 

Sth  Invention. 

Butterfly. 

Waltz,  Op.  64,  No.  1. 


Schumann, 
Arthur  Hinton, 
Leschetizky, 
Beethoven, 


Bird  as  Prophet. 

Etude  Arabesque. 

Intermezzo  Scherzando. 

Scherzo  from  Sonata  Op.  14,  No.  2. 

Another  point  in  velocity  finger  work  which  is  worthy  of  notice 
is  that  there  is  often  one  tone  in  a  group  around  which  the  others 
center.  Consequently  the  impulse  comes  on  that  tone  and  the 
rest  of  the  notes  seem  to  bound  from  it.     For  example: 

Leschetizky's  "Toccata" 


J^»JjjJjf~^JJ  ^=^ 


The  impulse  here  comes  from  a  throwing  of  the  third  finger. 
Beethoven,  Sonata,  Op.  28,  last  movement  at  the  end: 

Beethoven,    Sonata   Op.28 


70 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


Similarly  in  Schumann's  Traumeswirren: 

Schumann,   "Traumeswirren" 


This  principle  can  be  applied  to  music  for  children  also;   for 
instance: 


Schytte's/'Tag" 


^^ 


m 


i 


5^ 


^^ 


Object  of  the  Lesson 

I.     Continue  the  hearing  of  four  voices. 
II.     Begin  velocity  work. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


The  cadence  up  to  this  time  has  been  heard  in  its  simple  form 
of  Tonic,  Sub-Dominant,  and  Dominant,  Other  harmonies 
may  be  used  in  place  of  these  chords  which  give  the  cadence  a 
change  of  color  but  do  not  alter  the  character  of  it.  These  chords 
which  may  be  used  as  substitutes  for  the  original  I,  IV,  V,  I,  may 
even  be  considered  alterations  of  them. 

The  development  of  the  ability  to  hear  a  chord  written  differ- 
ently than  it  appears  in  the  simple  cadence  (being  used  as  a 
substitute  for  the  original  form  and  serving  the  same  purpose), 
is  highly  important  and  should  be  carefully  studied.  Follow  the 
directions  in  the  previous  lesson. 

Examples  for  training  the  ear  to  hear  this  point  are  as  follows : — 

For  instance,  the  Dominant  Seventh  should  be  heard  as  taking 
the  place  of  the  simple  Dominant: 


The  Super-Tonic  chord  should  be  heard  as  taking  the  place  of 
the  Sub-Dominant: 


71 


72 


EARS,   BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


The  following  examples  contain  illustrations  of  the  use  of  both 
Dominant  Seventh  and  Super-Tonic  chords. 


Extracts  from  German  Children's  Songs 


CI  VI 


ly  rTrzcr 


^ 


^ 


^ 


sg 


^ 


W 


m 


-^^»f    Ffrfrffrjtlk^r 


^ 


^ 


"      V, 


G        I  II 


Beethoven 


Schumann 


E   II      V    I 


Beethoven 


g 


m^ 


m 


m 


^ 


Beethoven 


P^ 


P 


^iil 


v^H^f-ftJiifca  jj'ffib 


■m 


D  1  li    ■      V,         1  CI 


P  E.  Bach 


C  minor  I 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


73 


^   Farlow 

[9  V  > 

f=i=^ 

— 

\I7in 

— t-d — 1 — 

c — 

d 

0    '    d 

-f^ r 

-4^ —5^ 

4: 

y  X  ' — 

4=4 

^ 

^=^ 

Fr r  r  1 

J  ^ 
I 

C         I 


V,        IGII    iS    V 

7  IV  * 


r^e  Supertonic  Seventh  (II7)  ttsed  zm  pZace  0/  the  Sub-Dominant. 


74  EARS.  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 

Beethoven.Sonata,  Op.  2,  N?  3 


Beethoven,  Sonata,  Op.  53 

J  J.  J    J 


II,  I 


The  Supertonic  Seventh  in  Minor: 


»    Wrn^i^  Vj    \'UL  \  'A 


w 


TFR= 


& 


^)-4i^   W  \^   j  IHf^ 


^ 


^ 


^ 


E  minor     I         II7    V  A  minor  I         H?     V         I        C  minor  I  11;    V7         I 


hp^^tj     1 

n — n 



vVh 1 

u 

zzq 

N^ 

11 

*^ 

-a 

zM 

=4 

— 

0 

Pininor  i         II      V        I        ^  minor       I        II7     V  I 

Tchaikovsky  SchumannTLittle  Romanze" 


EARS.  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


75 


Tchaikovsky 


The  use  of  the  minor  Sub-Dominant  in  a  major  key  was  sug- 
gested by  some  of  the  examples  given  in  Chapter  XIII  (B  and 
C),  for  hearing  triads.  For  hearing  this  chord  in  the  four-voiced 
cadence,  proceed  as  follows: 


ir-^^ 

-t-r. ; 

— n 

|>       »       1 

-1- 

p — 5 — 1 

-^— 

fe=H 

__££ g—  ■ 

-»- 

^^=i^ 

^J 

«» 

^ 

^^ 

fi 1 

■ — f~1 — 1 

tM-"-H 

-''M  — 

1 u 

*¥: 

o    P — 

=^ 

to"!'    8 

—8 — 

7     11 

-4-1 — 

t» 

^^-^4^ 

J — 1 

etc.  in  other  keys 


Illustrations  of  this  form  of  the  cadence: 

HeUer,  Prelude,  Op.  81,  N9 1 

m 


Eb  minor  IV 


(suspension) 


76 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


See  also  Chopin  Etudes,  Op.  10,  No.  10  (last  three  measures) 
and  No.  12  (last  two  measures.) 

In  hearing  the  Diminished  Seventh  chord  in  the  ear  training  work, 
the  point  for  the  pupil  to  first  determine  is  the  key  in  which  it  is 
written.  This  he  will  be  able  to  tell  after  hearing  the  chord 
resolved.  The  chord  itself,  played  without  its  resolution,  may 
suggest  any  number  of  keys.  But  as  soon  as  the  resolution  is 
played,  its  character  is  at  once  determined. 

For  example: 


C  minor  or  major 


A  minor  or  major 


or 
El>  minor  or  major 


FJ}  minor  or  major 


After  hearing  one  of  these  Diminished  Seventh  chords  and  its 
resolution  played,  the  pupil  should  be  able  to  name  the  key  in 
which  it  is  written,  and  to  tell  on  what  tone  the  Diminished 
Seventh  is  founded.  He  should  know  that  this  chord  is  founded 
on  the  seventh  degree  of  the  harmonic  minor  scale  and  may  be 
considered  in  the  light  of  a  Dominant  Minor  Ninth  with  the 


Dominant  tone  omitted: 


C  minor  Vg    Dim  7th 


It  may  resolve  into  either  major  or  minor. 

Examples  illustrating  the  use  of  this  chord,  which  should  be 
played  for  the  pupil  to  hear  after  the  preliminary  work  is  done, 
are  as  follows: 


Parlow,  Op  98,  N9t 


Dim  7th    A  minor 
oaGtt  I 


EARS.  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 

Schumann,  "The  Poet  Speaks" 


77 


A  minor  Dim.  7th  Ig  Dim  7fh 

on  Gi!  oaGi 

Beethoven,  Bondo  in  C 


.y=4 


C  minor  I 


dim.  7th  on  B 


Beethoven,  Sonata,  Op  10,  N9  1 


A  minor  11; 


Schubert,  'Faun  in  Spring" 


78 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


Schumann,    Novelette  N°6 


FS  inincr    Dim.  7th  on  ES 


These  few  examples  should  be  sufficient  to  give  the  idea  how  to 
apply  the  ear  training  work  to  the  hearing  of  music  harmonically. 
There  is  practically  no  limit  to  the  amount  of  material  which 
may  be  used.  As  the  pupil  advances  in  his  theory  work,  he 
should  be  capable  of  understanding  and  hearing  more  compli- 
cated harmony. 


Technical  Work  (Chord  Playing) 

As  a  rule,  chords  are  plaj^ed  close  to  the  keys, — that  is,  pre- 
pared. By  this  is  meant  that  the  hand  should  be  over  the  notes 
of  the  chord  before  sounding  the  tone.  There  are  so  many  fac- 
tors entering  into  good  chord  playing  however,  that  they  must  not 
be  overlooked.  For  example,  the  shaping  of  the  hand  to  fit  a 
chord  has  already  been  spoken  of  at  the  beginning  of  the  chapter 
on  arpeggios.  (The  curved  firm  fingers  on  the  white  keys,  and 
the  firm  but  straight  fingers  on  the  black  keys,  with  the  hand  as 
well  arched  as  the  size  of  the  chord  and  the  shape  of  the  hand 
allows.) 

The  looseness  of  the  arm  from  the  shoulder  is  another  very 
important  factor  in  obtaining  a  good  quality  of  tone.  Hardness 
of  tone  in  chords  is  almost  always  traceable  to  stiffness  in  the 
arm, — particularly  in  the  shoulder. 

A  chord  passage  should  be  practised  slowly  enough  for  the  arm 
to  be  relaxed  at  every  chord.  The  impulse  in  chords  comes 
usually  from  the  upper  arm.  The  arched  hand  rests  on  top  of 
the  keys  over  the  chord,  before  the  tone  is  sounded.  There  is  an 
instant  of  tension  in  the  upper  arm  which  causes  the  tone,  but 
the  relaxed  condition  of  the  arm  must  be  immediately  resumed. 
The  weight  of  the  arm  is  added  to  the  tone,  but  the  wrist  must 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


79 


have  as  much  elasticity  as  possible  at  the  moment  the  chord  is 
sounded.  The  addition  of  the  weight  of  the  arm  gives  sonority 
to  the  tone  and  prevents  the  hard  "steely"  quality  which  prevails 
if  a  chord  is  played  with  too  much  tension.  A  good  example  of 
such  chords  is  found  in  the  Chopin  Prelude,  No.  20.  In  a  more 
advanced  form,  in  the  introduction  to  the  Tchaikovsky  Concerto 
in  B  flat  minor. 

In  an  isolated  or  staccato  chord  which  is  to  be  played  both 
staccato  and  piano,  the  hand  is  prepared  on  the  keys  and  then 
flies  up  from  the  wrist  with  as  little  "digging"  into  the  keys  as 
possible.  When  a  larger  tone  is  desired,  more  force  from  the  arm 
is  exerted,  causing  greater  reflex  action.  Examples  of  both  kinds 
of  staccato  chords  are  as  follows: 


Schyttel'Willo' the  Wisp"  Kullak,  Op.62,  N51 


Parlow,  Op.98,"N2l 


V:<,  KKv'^'^^^      P^^ 


Beethoven,  Sonata,  Op. 14, N9 2 


i||-^'jVj^vJftjH  ^^ 


sf  *7  */     sf 


Schumann,  Scherzino,  Op.  26 


V  nm,nLj'|['f 


w 


% 


In  legato  chords  requiring  a  singing  quality  rather  than  bigness 
of  tone,  the  hand  is  held  prepared  over  the  chord,  close  to  the 


80 


EARS,  BRAIX  AXD  FINGERS 


keys,  while  the  arm  and  wrist  sink  with  weight  into  the  keys. 
For  example: 


Schumann,  Op.68,N'?41 


Schubert,"Moment  Musical" 


Chopin,  Kocturne  Op37,  X°l 


^# 


m 


m 


Tt 


m 


Another  important  point  is  illustrated  here, — the  necessity  of 
playing  the  upper  voice  with  a  decidedly  singing  quality  of  tone. 
The  technical  work  done  by  the  fifth  finger  in  the  elementary 
finger  exercises  proves  its  value  here,  for  the  firmest  tone  has  to 
be  made  with  the  weakest  finger.  The  firmer  the  fifth  finger  is, 
the  more  one  is  able  to  allow  the  weight  of  the  arm  to  rest  on  it 
without  a  feeling  of  contraction,  and  the  better  the  tone  of  the 
chord  will  be.  Other  illustrations  of  this  point  may  be  found  in 
The  Poet  Speaks  from  Schumann's  Kinderscenen,  Sunday  Morn- 
ing by  Kullak,  MacDowell's  Water  Lily,  Rachmaninoff's  Prelude 
in  C  sharp  minor,  and  the  Brahms  Intermezzo,  Op.  118,  No.  2. 

A  succession  of  chords  such  as  is  often  found  in  accompaniment 
to  a  melody,  is  played  similarly.  For  example,  the  Fourth  Prelude 
of  Chopin.  The  left  hand  remains  close  to  the  kej's  in  a  well 
arched  position,  which  is  modified  as  the  chords  change.  The 
tone  is  made  by  the  wrist  in  somewhat  the  same  manner  as  the 
"Rocking  Wrist,"  with  the  hand  remaining  firm.  An  example 
of  this  in  an  easier  form  is  found  in  Reinecke's  Thousand  and  One 
Nights. 

Chords  which  demand  a  very  strong  accent,  particularly  in  a 
rapid  tempo,  are  played  as  if  "pushed  away"  from  the  player. 
The  hand  is  close  to  the  keys,  but  a  sudden  impulse  from  the  arm. 


EARS,   BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


81 


and  the  "pushing''  the  chord  away,  causes  the  wrist  to  spring 
suddenly  upward  and  forward.  Examples  of  this  kind  of  chords 
will  be  found  in  Sinding's  Marche  Grotesque,  the  first  movement 
of  Schumann's  Faschingsschwank  or  the  Brahms  Rha'psody  in  E 
flat. 

In  playing  a  quickly  arpeggiated  chord,  set  the  hand  over  the 
notes  of  the  chord,  then  quickly  turn  the  forearm  so  that  the 
thumb  side  of  the  hand  flies  very  swiftly  upward  with  the  fingers 
remaining  firm.  Think  of  playing  the  chord  as  a  whole,  not  of 
each  individual  finger.  This  gives  an  exceedingly  crisp,  light, 
and  clean  chord.     Examples  follow: 

Mendelssohd,  Scherzo,  ia  S  minor 


Schytte,"The  Guitar  Player" 


Brahms,  Capriccio  in  B'minor 

m 


If 


m 


=^ 


1  \f 


g 


i= 


=^ 


Object  of  the  Lesson 

I.     Learn  to  hear  the  cadence  when  played  with  other  har- 
monies than  I,  IV,  V,  I. 

IL     Learn  to  hear  chords  as  they  appear  in  compositions. 
in.     Begin  the  study  of  chord  playing. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
Phrasing 

The  hearing  of  Phrasing  is  an  important  part  of  the  ear  training 
work.  At  first  it  is  better  to  select  phrases  of  regular  length,  and 
those  which  are  definite  both  rhythmically  and  harmonically. 

For  example,  the  A'achtstuck  inF  by  Schumann: 


Question 


The  pupil  should  think  of  the  phrases  in  the  light  of  question 
and  answer,  as  he  will  be  better  able  to  realize  their  relationship 
in  this  way.  He  should  be  able  to  tell  where  the  phrases  end,  and 
where  the  period  ends,  from  hearing  the  passage  played.  So  few 
pupils  can  recognize  a  phrase  by  sound,  that  it  is  important  to 
develop  this  point  in  the  ear  training. 

Simple  ballads  like  Swanee  River  or  Comin'  through  the  Rye 
illustrate  this  point,  and  are  very  useful  for  the  hearing  of 
phrases. 

The  following  are  also  useful  examples  for  illustrating  this: 


Beethoven. 


Bach. 

Schumann 

(( 

Chopin 

Th.  Lack 

Mendelssohn 

Reinecke 


Minuet  from  Sonata,  Op.  49,  No.  2. 
Minuet  from  Sonata,  Op.  22. 
Andante  from  Sonata,  Op.  14,  No.  2 
Gavotte  from  Third  English  Suite. 
Happy  Farmer. 
From  Foreign  Parts. 
Chorale  from  Nocturne,  Op.  37,  No.  1. 
Prelude,  Op.  28,  No.  7. 
Cabaletta. 

Consolation  and  Spinning  Song. 
Sonatina,  Op.  47,  No.  1  (2nd  movement.) 
82 


EARS,   BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


83 


The  ability  to  hear  crescendo  and  diminuendo,  ritardando  and 
accelerando,  legato  and  staccato,  is  a  point  which  at  first  thought 
seems  superfluous  to  dwell  upon.  But  it  is  astonishing  to  notice 
how  very  often  a  person  playing  is  unable  to  hear  these  effects 
in  his  own  work.  He  thinks  them,  and  thinks  that  he  is  making 
them,  but  the  listener  has  no  realization  of  it.  Take  for  example, 
a  melody  like  this  one  from  Moz.rt: 

Mozarl  _ 


p^^m^ 


The  pupil  should  be  able  to  tell  from  hearing  it,  where  the 
crescendo  and  diminuendo,  staccato,  etc.  are  found,  and  be  able 
to  play  the  shadings,  etc.,  after  hearing  them. 


Beethoven 


iiffip^/'^irl^' 


Mendelssohn,  Song  without  Words,  N9 22 


For  the  hearing  of  slurs  and  the  ability  to  clearly  define  the 


84 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


difference  between  staccato  and  slurs,  such  melodies  as  these 
should  be  used: 


From  German  Children's  Songs 


The  teacher  should  select  melodies  from  the  compositions  being 
studied,  as  far  as  possible, — particularly  if  the  pupil  has  difficulty 
with  these  points. 


Pedaling 

The  use  of  the  pedal  should  be  studied  from  the  standpoint  of 
ear  training,  as  good  pedaling  depends  upon  the  ability  to  hear  well 
more  than  anything  else.  The  following  elementary  exercise 
from  Schmitt's  Use  of  the  Pedal  gives  the  beginner  the  idea  of 
the  so-called  "syncopated"  pedal,  which  is  the  first  use  of  it. 


IS  J  * 

J           t 

J      * 

J    < 

*     1      2     3 

i      2      3 

1    2    a 

a    8 

[Ped.^     ^ 

<f 

ff 

«f 

The  pupil  should  notice  by  listening  closely,  that  the  pedal 
connects  the  tones  which  otherwise  would  be  disconnected.  The 
exercise  should  be  done  at  first  slowly,  then  with  increased  speed. 
When  applying  this  to  a  piece,  select  one  if  possible  which  has  a 
similar  beat.  For  example,  Schumann's  From  Foreign  Parts,  or 
in  a  more  popular  style,  Thome's  Simple  Confession,  or  Schytte's 
Harp  Player.  The  teacher  should  play  a  succession  of  chords 
using  this  syncopated  pedal,  purposely  allowing  the  pedal  to 
blur  one  of  the  chords  with  another.     The  pupil  should  be  able 


EAhS,  BRAIN  AND  FIXGERS 


85 


to  tell  which  one  it  is,  and  whether  it  is  corrected  or  not  the  next 
time  it  is  played.  Even  with  an  advanced  pupil,  it  will  often  be 
found  quite  as  necessary  for  him  to  be  trained  to  listen  carefully 
for  clearness  of  pedaling.  Not  only  should  the  teacher  play  for 
him  to  listen  to  the  pedaling,  but  the  pupil  should  be  made  to 
stop  after  each  changing  of  the  pedal,  listen  to  what  he  has  played, 
and  he  able  to  tell  whether  the  pedaling  was  right.  The  following 
compositions  are  well  adapted  to  the  study  of  the  pedal. — 
ISIacDo well's  Wild  Rose;  Schumann's  Romanze  in  F  sharp; 
Rubinstein's  Barcarolle  in  G  minor;  Liszt's  Transcriptions  of 
Schubert  Songs. 

The  hearing  of  the  following  examples  of  pedal  effects  is  not 
only  for  the  purpose  of  stimulating  the  player's  ability  to  hear 
his  own  pedaling,  but  also  to  gain  the  concentration  necessary  to 
hear  such  effects  when  they  are  made  by  others.  Modern 
pianists  offer  so  many  and  such  varied  pedal  effects,  that  a  keen 
ear  is  necessary  in  order  to  appreciate  and  understand  them. 
Pedaling  has  developed  and  changed  within  a  few  years,  and  is 
now  a  fine  art. 

The  use  of  the  pedal  to  connect  tones  which  cannot  be  connected 
by  the  hands,  is  so  common  that  it  should  be  made  apparent  to 
the  ear.     For  instance,  Debussy's  Clair  deLune: 


m  ,1. 


or  the  Chopin  Scherzo  in  B  minor: 


^ 


^ 


1 


1 


^ 


The  connection  of  the  fundamental  tone  with  the  pedal  is  very 
important.     Chopin's  N octiirne  in  D  flat: 


86 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


or  the  Schubert  Impromptu  No.  3: 


tv.  ■  .u    ^;4^»-4 — ^4— » — — ft-i— ^-1-^ 


These  should  be  played  first  without  pedal,  that  the  dryness  of 
the  figure  when  without  the  blending  of  the  pedal,  may  be  heard. 

Then  should  be  played  with  a  blurred  pedaling,  with  too  little 
pedal,  etc.,  and  also  correctly,  that  the  ear  may  be  trained  to  hear 
why  the  incorrect  pedaling  was  not  good  and  just  where  the  pedal 
was  taken.  This  sharpens  the  ear  for  the  sustaining  of  the 
fundamental  tone,  and  to  a  quicker  perception  of  poor  pedaling. 
A  pupil  may  be  able  to  follow  pedal  marks  and  be  able  to  use  the 
pedal  "by  sighV^  tolerably  well.  But  unless  he  learns  to  hear  why 
the  pedal  is  so  taken  and  to  feel  within  himself  the  need  of  having  it 
so  done,  he  has  gained  little  or  nothing  which  will  help  him  to  pedal 
another  composition  well.  Other  examples  of  this  point  are: 
Chanson  Triste,  by  Tchaikovsky,  and  Preludes,  Nos.  1,7, 15  and 
17  by  Chopin.  Another  example  of  the  connection  of  the  funda- 
mental tone  is  illustrated  in  the  following  measures.  Here  is 
presented  the  problem  of  the  fundamental  as  a  part  of  an  arpeg- 
giated  chord,  which  is  of  too  great  a  stretch  for  the  ordinary 
hand  to  reach.  In  such  cases,  the  fundamental  tone  is  really 
played  at  the  last  of  the  preceding  measure,  and  is  immediately 
caught  by  the  pedal,  while  the  top  of  the  arpeggiated  chord 
comes  in  with  the  right  hand.    For  example: 

Heller,  Prelude,  Op.  81, N°  1 


is  pUycd 


EARS,   BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


87 


The  pupil  should  be  able  to  hear  where  the  pedal  was  taken, 
when  used  correctly,  and  to  tell  when  and  why  it  was  correct 
when  done  in  the  first  manner.  Similarly  in  Mendelssohn's 
Spinning  Song : 


F. 


See  also  Chopin's  Prelude,  No.  23,  and  Rubinstein's  Melody  in 
The  Use  of  the  Pedal  for  Tone  Color  and  Shawng 


Innumerable  examples  of  this  use  of  the  pedal  can  be  found,  and 
should  be  given  in  the  ear  training  work,  in  order  to  develop  a 
greater  sensitiveness  to  phrasing  and  what  is  commonly  known 
as  *  'expression. "  As  the  pedal  is  such  an  important  factor  in  aiding 
the  pianist  to  color  the  tone,  and  give  expressiveness  to  his  playing, 
it  is  necessary  for  kirn  to  be  able  to  hear  the  effects  himself  before  he 
can  expect  to  make  them  heard  by  others. 

One  of  the  most  simple  but  effective  means  is  to  give  the  im- 
pression of  crescendo  and  diminuendo  by  the  use  of  the  pedal. 
The  passage  is  really  played  crescendo  with  a  sudden  pianissimo 
following  it.  The  pedal,  being  held,  retains  the  tone  of  the  cres- 
cendo, and  gives  the  effect  of  steadily  diminishing  tones.  For 
example: 


Mozart, Fantasie  in  D  minor 


88  EARS.  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 

In  simple  form,  KuUak's  Nightingale: 

Knllak,   'iNi^htingale" 


The  following  passage  is  from  Liszt's  Bird  Sermon: 

Liszt,  "Bird  Sermon" 


Play  these  and  similar  examples  without  pedal,  with  pedal  but 
without  diminuendo,  and  then  with  the  above  effect,  and  he  able  to 
hear  the  difference.  See  also  the  Alabieff-Liszt  Nightingale 
(cadenza),  and  the  Beethoven  Sonata,  Gp.  27,  No.  2  (first  move- 
ment, measures  35-38). 

Similar  to  this  is  the  sustaining  of  the  harmonic  structure  of  a 
passage  by  the  pedal,  allowing  the  harmony  to  sound  throughout 
the  passage  and  giving  it  a  veiled  effect. 


Mozart,  Fantasie  in  D  minor    ||*  ^    | 


The  Dominant  arpeggio  completely  veils  the  by-tones  in  the 
second  measure,  making  the  Dominant  character  of  the  passage 
clear  to  the  listener.  Play  this  without  pedal  and  also  with  other 
pedalings  to  distinguish  the  difference.  See  also,  Heller,  Prelude, 
Op.  81,  No.  3  (measures  61-68);  Schubert-Liszt,  Fruhlingsglaube 


EARS,   BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


89 


(cadenza);  Glazounow, Lo  Nuit  (first  four  measures);  Rachman- 
inoff, Barcarolle,  Op.  10  (beginning  at  sixth  measure  from  the 
end);   Scriabine,  Nocturne  for  the  left  hand  alone  (cadenza). 

The  modern  French  school  of  composition  offers  a  great  many 
examples  of  such  veiled  passages.     For  example: 

Debussy,  'Reflets  dans  I'eau  " 


K 


1  n:— n 


A  somewhat  different  effect,  though  it  is  an  illustn.tion  of  the 
same  principle,  is  that  of  a  passage  purposely  blurred  by  the  pedal 
but  which  is  suddenly  cleared  up  at  the  conclusion. 

Beethoven, Sonata  Op.3l,N°2 


_lJ_iJJ_i     J     -1_1-1*J_L     »     J-l-i»J-i     *     A  A  A  J  J.  A'  a 


'Jtoi 


90 


EARS,   BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


Schumann,  Carnaval.     {Promenade, — last  two  measures): 

Schumann, "Car naval,  Promenade" 


i 


Mf 


^ 


i 


I  n 


m^  r- 


i 


#   #   # 


^ 


'S^ 


In  simple  form,  Kullak's  Ghost  in  the  Chimney: 


The  hearing  of  the  use  of  the  pedal  for  the  purpose  of  intensifying 
an  accent,  and  at  the  same  time  joining  two  tones  so  that  they 
form  a  slur,  is  illustrated  by  examples  such  as  the  following: 


Tchaikovsky,  Romance  in  P  minor 


Chopin,  Ballade  in  G  minor 


i^^ 


SEg 


S 


Wrr  r  r  r  Mr  r  r  r  ^ 


i 


r-"^'ir  r^' 


fe 


<&>  « 


•Sea.  if? 


See  also  the  Schubert  Impromptu,  Op.  90,  No.  2,  (fifteenth 
measure  from  the  end). 

In  all  of  these  examplei,  the  student  should  be  able  to  hear 
them  with  more  than  one  kind  of  pedaling. 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


91 


In  brilliant  scale  passages,  the  pedal  may  be  used,  provided  the 

ioot  is  removed  from  the  pedal  immediately  at  the  end  of  the  pass- 
age. Such  passages  should  be  illustrated  first,,  without  pedal; 
second,  with  the  pedal  held  overtime;  third,  with  it  changed  once  or 
twice  during  the  passage;  and  fourth,  held  through  just  to  the  end,  as 
stated  above. 

Smding,  Frv£hlingsrauschen  (short  scale  passages  in  L.  H.); 
IMacDowell,  Polonaise  (first  measure);  Leschetizky,  Etude 
Heroique  (measures  23,  24,  and  39,  40);  Cj'ril  Scott,  Danse  Negre 
(end);  Chopin,  G  minor  Ballade  (end),  and£'<wde,  Op.  25,  No.  11 
(end);  Brahms,  Rhapsody,  Op.  79,  No.  1. 

These  examples  are  only  a  very  few  of  the  simple  pedal  effects, 
selected  with  the  idea  of  giving  pupils  practice  in  hearing  them, 
and  to  develop  ideas  of  their  own  on  those  lines.  Teachers  will 
find  this  work  interesting  to  be  done  in  classes.  Pupils  can  prac- 
tise listening  to  them  by  plaj'ing  examples  for  each  other. 


Memorizing 

The  necessity  for  special  dcvelopynent  of  the  intellectual  side  of 
musical  memory  was  touched  upon  in  Chapters  V  and  VI  in 
relation  to  children's  work. 

For  pupils  a  little  older,  a  composition  like  the  Ph.  Em.  Bach 
Solfeggietto  offers  excellent  material  for  the  foundation  of  harmonic 
memorizing.  As  soon  as  the  pupil  knows  the  Tonic,  Dominant, 
and  Sub-Dominant  chords,  he  can  apply  his  knowledge  directly 
to  the  first  line  of  this  composition,  and  can  realize  the  use  of  the 
Tonic  and  Dominant  chords  in  it. 

Another  composition  which  offers  excellent  material  for  the 
foundation  of  harmonic  memorizing  is  the  Pres  d'un  Ruisseau 
by  Karganoff.     Take  the  first  page  for  example: 


Karganoff  "Pres  d'un  1 

7^-^-^ — n — 

tuisseau' 

.it     a *^n'r* 

r 

^npH*-» 

r 

^ 

^ 

^ 

^^ 

V^ Vh- 

1 

j \- 

— i -L 

V  *        viv 

7 

-^i^ 

-^ 

*-^ 

G  ci3;ai.l. 


92 


EARS.  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


\ii  iir.r 

i|§  — 

1-^-  riip 

P=q 

ifipf  fff  1 

p — fl 

f 

pfJ 

^ 

^ 

«              ^ 

I'g        V.           ^J 

« 

1             ^J 

3 

J 

VyOf  G 


The  pupil  should  first  analyze  it  harmonically.  Then  in  his 
practice,  he  should  play  slowly  enough  to  be  able  to  think  of 
this  underlying  Harmony  as  he  plays,  and  to  hear  it  at  the  same 
time: 


G  major  I 


Dl2      V7         I 


He  should  be  careful  to  hear  and  see  these  chords  before  he 
plays  them.  In  this  way,  the  thought  guides  the  fingers  instead 
of  the  fingers  playing  automatically. 

For  instance,  before  he  begins  playing  the  piece,  he  should  see 
on  the  keyboard  the  Tonic  chord  of  G  major  in  these  positions: 


While  he  is  playing  measures  three  and  four,  he  should  see  the 
Dominant  Seventh  chord  as  it  looks  on  the  keyboard,  and  fully 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS  93 

realize    that    this   is   the  Harmony  which  he  is  to  play  next: 


This  process  continues  throughout  the  piece. 

This  development  of  the  intellectual  influence  on  the  memory  is  of 
great  importance  in  that  it  helps  the  memory  to  stand  the  test  of 
nervousness  better  than  anything  else.  When  nervousness  at- 
tacks a  person  who  is  playing  in  public,  if  he  has  not  memor- 
ized with  any  definite  thought  in  mind,  he  begins  for  the 
first  time  to  use  his  brain  with  reference  to  the  details  of  what  he 
is  playing.  "How  does  it  begin?" — "how  does  it  go  here?"  — 
"what  comes  next?"  etc., — all  of  these  questions  were  not  thought 
of  in  his  practice. 

This  using  of  his  brain  at  the  last  moment,  makes  it  a  power 
for  confusion  rather  than  for  security,  so  that  a  lapse  of  memory 
is  the  result. 

If  the  mental  conception  of  the  composition  is  developed  in  his 
daily  practice,  the  player  is  so  sure  of  himself  that  he  is  able  to 
control  his  thoughts  in  spite  of  nervousness. 

The  ability  to  memorize  in  this  way  cannot  be  built  up  in  a 
day.  The  process  may  be  likened  to  that  followed  in  learning  a 
foreign  language.  At  first,  the  vocabulary  of  new  expressions  is 
spoken  necessarily  slowly.  But  as  these  new  expressions  become 
more  natural,  and  a  matter  of  routine,  and  the  vocabulary  is 
enlarged,  one  thinks  in  the  new  idiom  and  becomes  master  of  the 
language.  So  it  is  with  the  process  of  harmonic  memorizing. 
The  vocahidary  necessary  to  think  quickly  in  muMC  is  founded  on 
Harmony. 

A  child  learns  a  new  language  almost  unconsciously.  Conse- 
quently, the  sooner  a  vocabulary  of  chords  is  given  to  a  child, 
the  more  natural  harmonic  analysis  and  memorizing  will  become 
for  him.  Until  a  student  has  a  good  knowledge  of  chords,  the 
process  of  thinking  of  them  when  playing  by  memory  will  be  slow. 

The  important  points  in  this  kind  of  memorizing  are, — the 
ability  to  see  and  hear  the  underlying  Harmony  of  a  composition; 


94 


EARS.  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 


to  think  of  this  harmonic  structure  before  playing  it;  and  to  retain 
the  melodic  line  of  the  composition  at  the  same  time. 

When  this  power  of  thinking  ahead  has  been  gained,  a  quality  of 
mental  control  is  given  to  the  playing,  of  which  even  the  uninitiated 
listener  is  conscious. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  compositions  especially  adapted  for 
the  development  of  memorizing  in  this  way. 

Medium  Grade  of  Difficulty: 


Ph.  Em.  Bach, 

Bach, 

Beethoven, 

do. 
Heller, 
Karganoff, 
Rubinstein, 
Mozkowski, 
Leschetizky, 

Advanced: 
Bach, 
Beethoven, 
Beethoven, 
Chopin, 

Schubert-Fischof, 
Sinding, 
Glazounow, 


Solfeggietto. 

Eighth  Invention. 

Rondo  in  C  major. 

Andante  from  Sonata,  Op.  14,  No.  2. 

Preludes,  Op.  81,  Nos.  1,  2,  3,  and  15. 

Pres  d'un  Ruisseau. 

Polka  Boheme. 

Scherzino  in  F  major. 

Wellen  und  Wogen. 

Preludes,  Nos.  1,  4,  15,  and  20. 

Adagio  cantabile  from  Sonata,  Op.  13. 

Rondo  a  Capriccio. 

Etudes,  Op.  25,  Nos.  1,2,  and  3. 

Ballet  Music  "Rosamunde." 

Goblin. 

Gavotte  in  D  major. 


Gluck-Saint-Saens,  Alceste. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Some   Useful  Hints 

In  conclusion,  a  few  remarks  calling  attention  to  some  features 
of  the  work  may  be  helpful  to  both  teachers  and  students. 

As  was  stated  in  Chapter  V,  the  first  object  that  we  work  for  in 
technic,  is  getting  the  tone  placed,  that  is,  getting  the  playing  ap- 
paratus so  accustomed  to  the  correct  position  and  so  perfectly 
relaxed,  that  pure  finger  action  becomes  possible. 

As  soon  as  a  slight  proficiency  has  been  attained,  so  that  a 
simple  Etude  or  two  can  be  played  with  these  conditions  main- 
tained, the  pupil  should  apply  this  "finger  action"  to  pieces.  It 
is  much  better  for  his  musical  development  for  him  to  begin  to 
play  something,  instead  of  developing  the  purely  technical  side  to  a 
high  degree  before  applying  it  to  real  music. 

If  one  waits  too  long  before  applying  the  work  to  compositions, 
the  playing  becomes  stiff  and  unnatural,  savoring  too  much  of 
"method."  Furthermore,  technic,  in  the  broad  sense,  is  not  purely 
mechanical;  there  is  an  intellectual  and  musical  technic  as  well, 
which  can  be  acquired  and  developed  only  from  music. 

One  must  be  prepared  to  expect  the  following  symptoms  in 
this  first  application  of  the  technic.  The  first  pieces  cannot  be 
said  to  be  interpreted:  the  tone  is  small,  uncertain,  wabbly,  and 
on  the  surface  of  the  keys.  One  thinks  rather  of  a  child  tottering 
along  by  aid  of  a  chair,  than  of  a  person  making  firm,  rapid 
strides,  but  we  all  are  obliged  to  take  our  first  steps  in  this  way. 

As  the  technical  work  goes  on,  and  the  fingers  gain  in  firmness 
and  strength  from  the  daily  practice,  a  little  more  surety  creeps 
in,  the  key  is  pressed  more  firmly  to  its  full  depth,  and  the  listener 
catches  a  glimpse  of  some  attempts  at  tone  coloring. 

Next  a  smooth,  singing  legato  begins  to  appear,  and  an  accent 
now  and  then  comes  in  to  enliven  the  scene  and  give  variety. 

95 


96  EARS,   BRAIN  AND  FINGERS 

The  fine  points  of  artistic  accentuation,  of  course,  must  be  left 
for  later  study. 

By  this  time  the  pupil  becomes  able  to  make  the  musical 
architecture  plain.  By  this  remark  is  meant  that  he  eliminates 
the  painful  distinctness  of  the  measures,  and  begins  to  make  it 
possible  for  one  to  hear  the  phrase  and  sentence. 

It  is  too  soon,  however,  for  elasticity  of  rhythm  to  be  safe,  for 
any  use  of  it  at  this  stage  necessarily  becomes  an  abuse. 

When  the  pupil  is  sure  enough  of  finger  action  to  be  able  to 
make  use  of  the  depression  of  the  wrist  as  a  means  of  giving 
variety  in  tone  color,  that  feature  is  brought  in,  and  also  the  use 
of  the  arm  in  producing  a  broad  and  beautiful  tone.  This  is  of 
the  greatest  importance.  Without  the  free  use  of  the  upper  arm 
there  can  be  no  modern  pianism. 

Orchestral  effects  are  now  required  of  pianists.  The  old  school 
of  dry  finger  action  with  its  pedantic  effects  of  Zowd  amd  soft,  fast 
and  slow,  in  studied  alternation,  and  its  limited  use  of  the  pedal, 
has  passed  away. 

Unless  the  fingers  have  the  strength  and  skill  to  make  a  reson- 
ant, singing  tone,  and  firmly  grasp  the  chords, — unless  there  is  a 
proper  use  of  the  arm  to  give  volume  of  tone, — how  can  the  pianist 
hope  to  even  suggest  the  brilliancy  of  an  orchestra  with  its  singing 
violins,  cellos,  and  sonorous  instruments? 

As  the  player  gains  greater  skill  in  using  his  tone  colors  he  can 
begin  to  pay  attention  to  musical  perspective.  Here  comes  in 
one  of  the  greatest  differences  between  the  amateur  and  the 
artist.  The  amateur  is  so  conscious  of  every  little  detail  that  he 
brings  everything  out  with  painful  distinctness.  The  result  is 
that  unimportant  figures  assume  undue  prominence  in  the  musical 
picture. 

The  wild  rose  bush,  growing  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain, 
towers  up  as  high  as  the  mountain  peak.  The  grass  on  the  lawn 
grows  as  high  as  the  tree  tops.  In  his  effort  to  make  everything 
stand  out,  nothing  stands  out.  The  result  is  just  a  grotesque  con- 
glomeration, with  everything  out  of  proportion.  It  is  only  after 
the  player  has  become  developed  artistically,  that  he  can  use  the 
musical  discrimination  necessary  to  the  adjustment  of  the  per- 


EARS,  BRAIN  AND  FINGERS  97 

spective,  and  learn  to  give  each  composition  its  fitting  character^ 
keeping  everything  in  the  right  proportion. 

To  reach  the  point  where  there  is  sufficient  art  to  conceal  art  is 
not  an  easy  matter.  Any  evidence  of  method  takes  away  from  the 
artistic  effect. 

An  orator  could  not  hope  to  impress  his  hearers  it  his  pronun- 
ciation were  slovenly  and  incorrect,  his  voice  inadequate,  and  his 
gestures  unfitting;  but  if  he  appears  before  an  audience  with  a 
painfully  distinct  enunciation,  self-conscious  gestuies,  and 
studied  tones,  he  becomes  ludicrous.  His  message  has  lost  its 
meaning. 

The  pianist  (whose  work  is  necessarily  more  artificial  than  that 
of  one  using  our  natural  method  of  conveying  thoughts) ,  must 
take  the  greatest  pains  to  conceal  the  process  by  which  he  makes, 
use  of  an  unnatural,  intangible  way  of  imparting  ideas. 

He  should  devote  a  certain  amount  of  time  daily  to  the  work 
of  interpretation,  crowding  out  of  his  mind  all  thought  of  method, 
giving  heed  only  to  the  meaning  he  wishes  to  convey.  This  neg- 
lect of  regard  for  details  will  be  offset  by  the  careful  attention 
given  to  them  in  the  other  practising.  By  carrying  on  the  two 
kinds  of  work  simultaneously  he  will  achieve  the  technic  which  is 
unconscious,  and  the  interpretation  which  reveals  the  ideas  and 
emotions  of  the  composer. 

The  time  has  passed  when  the  pianist  can  dazzle  by  mere 
technical  display.  The  world  calls  for  more.  It  demands  that 
he  should  have  something  to  say. 

The  time  has  passed  when  mere  criticism  will  pass  for  good 
teiching  in  any  line  of  music. 

It  is  the  teacher  who  gives  his  pupils  breadth  of  musician- 
ship and  the  training  which  enables  them  to  help  themselves, 
who  is  now  recognized. 

Modern  progress  has  made  it  imperative  for  us  to  put  forth 
every  effort  to  get  that  which  is  vital.  It  is  that  which  will 
make  the  art  of  music  mean  more  to  all  of  us. 


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